Local councillors have an important role to play in shaping the future of British farming.
From planning bureaucracy, to tackling rising crime rates and a lack of broadband and mobile connectivity, decisions taken by local authorities can have a lasting impact for farm businesses and the communities they support.
Read our report: How local authorities can help shape the future of British farming.
“While many of these challenges need to be solved at government level, local authorities can make a difference for farm businesses and the communities they support.”
NFU President Tom Bradshaw
Key asks
Key areas identified where local government support is most impactful include:
- Planning: Ensuring local planning officers are trained in agricultural operations and farm needs, leading to consistent, informed decisions that support modern farming practices and diversified rural enterprises.
- Rural crime: Providing accessible waste disposal sites to help reduce fly-tipping. Ensuring markets operating under the local authority are sufficiently regulated and licensed to prevent the sale of stolen goods.
- Rural connectivity: Targeting persistent rural ‘not-spots’ and underserved rural communities and avoid clustering of investment in already well-served areas.
- Food procurement: Procuring at least 50% of the food the council requires from local farmers and growers.
Shaping the future of the farming industry
Following the elections, NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “Farming sits at the very heart of our rural economy and communities. Our farmers manage more than 70% of the landscape, play a vital role in protecting and enhancing the environment and they work each and every day, whatever the weather, to produce the food to feed our nation.
“However, this is an extremely difficult time for the sector. Successive global shocks – from the war in Ukraine to the conflict in the Middle East – mean farmers are shouldering increased fuel, fertiliser and energy costs and facing growing uncertainty as they begin to plan for the year to come.
“Farmers and growers are also contending with increasingly volatile weather conditions and, with the reduction of support payments which provided a layer of resilience for many, are more exposed than ever.
“While many of these challenges need to be solved at government level, local authorities can make a difference for farm businesses and the communities they support. By championing pro-farming policies on areas like planning and rural crime, they can help to shape the future of our industry.
“We look forward to working with all newly elected representatives to help support a thriving and profitable British farming industry.”
