The NFU Crops Board has recently agreed its priorities for the following two-year term.
We will continue our work on supply chain fairness and farm assurance, whilst retaining a strong interest in plant health concerns, covering both EU alignment and precision breeding.
The board will also focus on key organic and environmental issues, whilst seeking to secure greater market opportunities for increased domestic demand for what we grow.
Farm assurance
As a board, we have a long-standing view that the combinable crops sector needs to investigate segmentation within farm assurance, identifying the legislative baseline for feed grains and the additional needs of specific added-value supply chains.
The Red Tractor Sector Board recently agreed to a framework that allows this investigation to take place.
The output from this work, and how many standards are deemed to be foundational versus how many standards are deemed to be enhanced, will form the basis of a decision on whether segmentation is the right approach for the sector.
The second UKFAR Monitoring Report highlighted the NFU’s proactive work in delivering change in this area.
“The NFU action plan would help deliver short-term resilience, shoring up availability and the affordability of growing crops in 2027.”
NFU Combinable Crops Board Chair Jamie Burrows on fertiliser resilience
Glyphosate
With the glyphosate renewal date of 15 December 2026 fast approaching, members are understandably concerned about the reauthorisation of the active ingredient later this year.
Glyphosate plays a vital role throughout a crop’s growing season, managing weeds and ensuring a crop is evenly ripe across the field ahead of harvest. Use as a pre-harvest desiccant is necessary across the UK, and more importantly so in certain geographies or for certain crops.
The government has announced that HSE expects to launch the statutory public consultation on the assessment of the renewal of the approval of glyphosate in summer 2026.
NFU renews its calls for science and evidence approach to glyphosate use
Fertiliser resilience in action
Fairness in the combinable crops supply chain – read the NFU’s response
NFU welcomes CMA response as farmers feel the brunt of key input price rises
UK-EU trade negotiations – how aligning with the EU will affect your business
Fertiliser resilience
The disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz caused by the Middle East conflict has pushed fertiliser prices up by 30% to 45%.
We are highly vulnerable to any volatility in the global fertiliser market because we rely entirely on imported fertiliser or ammonia.
Our concern is that these cost increases mean there is a significant risk growers will reduce plantings for 2027, or hold back from applying key nutrients which would have further impacts on crop yields.
The NFU action plan would help deliver short-term resilience, shoring up availability and the affordability of growing crops in 2027:
- Introduce a direct support trigger.
- Postpone and review CBAM.
- Knowledge exchange on nutrient management.
- Additional fertiliser market transparency.
On the second two points, which are industry-focused, we have already met with both the AHDB and AIC to discuss how we can collaborate.
The AHDB have agreed to create a fertiliser hub which draws together the existing information they already have available, and identify where any additional work is required to complete the picture.
Our ask to postpone CBAM reiterates a long-standing call, that a CBAM simply adds a tax to UK farming, with alternative options not currently widely available.
On direct support, our nearest neighbours have access to very similar support, and are producing the same crops we are in the UK but with reduced production cost pressure.
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