Party conferences: How the NFU puts farming at the centre of political debate
Beyond the headlines and soundbites, party conferences are a crucial time for influencing – and that’s exactly why you'll find the NFU attending. As always, we are working hard to make sure farming and food production are front and centre of the conversations.
The NFU is holding breakfast events at each major party conference this autumn – Reform, Lib Dem, Labour and Conservative.
It’s a chance for us to bring together ministers, MPs, advisers, party members, think tanks, journalists, and stakeholders for great food and good discussion.
Farming has a range of challenges right now and whether that’s bluetongue, drought conditions, fertiliser costs, farm profitability, food security, and trade concerns such as Brazilian meat imports, we used this time to bang the drum for our members.
Reform Party Conference
NFU President Tom Bradshaw comments on the NFU’s Westminster team’s first outing to the Reform Party Conference Friday 4 – Saturday 5 September: “As an apolitical organisation, it is important that we represent our members voices with all political parties.
“It’s impossible to predict what the makeup of the next government may be or when the next general election may be called.
“Our role is to keep food and farming firmly on the political agenda, highlight the severe cashflow crisis facing farmers and secure the conditions farm businesses need to be resilient and feed the UK’s 29 million households. These will be our priorities at the Reform Party Conference this week.”
Find out what happened at the NFU Great British Brunch event in Birmingham, where NFU President Tom Bradshaw said that there were huge opportunities for any party willing to get behind domestic food production.
Liberal Democrat Party Conference
NFU Deputy President Paul Tompkins comments as the NFU Westminster team and several other NFU representatives prepare to head to the Liberal Democrat Party Conference, taking place in Brighton from Saturday 19 – Tuesday 22 September: “As an a-political organisation, it’s vital that we have a good working relationship with all political parties to ensure farming and food production remain high on the political agenda.
“Farmers and growers across the country are facing real challenges after an extremely difficult summer and poor harvest for many. However, farmers remain dedicated to producing high-quality food, caring for the environment and playing their part in rural communities.
“The need to build resilience into the UK’s food production system, so that we can continue feeding 70 million people now and in the future, has never been so evident. That is a message we will be taking to the Liberal Democrats’ conference this week.”
