NFU hosts more than 150 Reform delegates at Great British Brunch event
Find out how the NFU represented the voice of members and the wider farming sector at the Reform Party Conference.
The party conference season kicked off this weekend with the Reform UK conference in Birmingham.
The NFU returned to the Reform conference to host MPs, councillors and delegates for the Great British Brunch.
Speaking at the event, NFU President Tom Bradshaw was joined by Danny Kruger MP, Head of Reform’s Preparing for Government Unit, and Richard Tice MP, Reform’s Business, Trade and Energy Spokesperson.
Reform’s vision for farming
Tom welcomed more than 150 delegates to the event, explaining what a challenging summer it had been for British farming with many experiencing a cash flow crisis following high input costs, disease outbreaks and a poor harvest.
This point was picked up by Danny Kruger who recognised it had been the toughest summer in living memory and devastated farm incomes.
Kruger said the job of government is to mitigate risks and provide food security and outlined how Reform wanted to work with farmers to develop policies which will support the sector.
Kruger said his long-term vision was to see a functioning marketplace where farmers can trade freely with a level playing field and receive a fair price for produce. He added that, in the short term, there was a role for government to play in combatting challenges the sector is currently facing.
Kruger also re-iterated how Reform would reverse the inheritance tax changes, expressing a desire for the party to be “absolutely known as the farmers’ champion”.
Opportunities to deliver for farming
In response, Tom Bradshaw reflected that for the past 30 years farming had been taken for granted and that there were huge political opportunities for any party willing to get behind domestic food production.
Tom pointed out that farming is the foundation for the largest manufacturing sector – food and drink – and plays an integral role within our domestic food security.
Addressing the audience, he explained that with Reform UK now holding councils and mayoralties across the country, they now had the ability to use their public procurement and planning powers to help deliver a profitable and successful farming industry in the UK.
Get the details on the NFU’s short- and long-term asks of government that would provide the support that farmers need to build resilience into their businesses.
Planning system challenges
Diving deeper, Tom stressed that the planning system is currently a “blocking system” rather than an “enabling system” and explained the importance of having the right infrastructure on farms to enable growth.
Tom added that government policy can incentivise the investment needed, particularly by enlarging the Annual Investment Allowance. Such policies are critical to allow farmers to adapt their businesses to a changing climate.
Farmers integral to communities
Tom also spoke about how this summer has shown the importance of farmers in our local communities.
Often taken for granted, they are the unsung heroes, stepping up to help combat destructive wildfires and protect rural neighbourhoods. But we cannot forget that they are only there because they farm and the importance of enabling them to continue to do so.
Disparity in standards
Trade is also critical and Tom expressed frustration that farmers continue to have to compete with imported food produced through methods that would be illegal here.
On Thursday (3 September), the EU introduced a ban on products of animal origin, including beef and poultry meat, from Brazil, over concerns about anti-microbial usage.
For more than two decades, the use of antibiotics for growth promotion has rightly been banned in the UK and British farmers have made significant progress in reducing antibiotic use in livestock production.
It is unacceptable that the government continues to allow Brazilian meat to be imported into the UK, and Tom called on the government to implement a precautionary ban until responsible production can be demonstrated and for all parties to support this.
Financial support for farmers
Tom concluded by saying that while in the long term, core standards for agri-food imports are required to level the playing field for British farmers, in the short term we need government to support a ‘Keep Britain Growing Loan’ – an interest-free loan which will act as a bridge to next year’s production for farm businesses.
Add your name to the latest NFU campaign calling for short-term financial support for farmers.
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Plans to improve food security
Tom then welcomed Richard Tice (Boston and Skegness) to the stage, asking him whether Reform UK would adopt a food production target.
Tice said that the UK needs to be ambitious in increasing the country’s food security and stressed the importance of bringing down the cost of production, reducing unnecessary regulations and the need to attract young people into farming.
Reform marks the first of our Great British Breakfast events of the party conference season. Look out for further updates from the External Affairs team from the rest of the conferences on our party conferences landing page.
