“It’s important that all the governments around the world understand the ripples and the repercussions of the closing of the Strait of Hormuz.”NFU Combinable Crops Board Vice-chair Andrew Williamson speaking on Farmers Weekly's podcast
Fertiliser Resilience Plan
Last week, the NFU announced its Fertiliser Resilience Plan, outlining a series of immediate government and industry asks as British farmers and growers face increased production costs due to the conflict in the Middle East.
The story was covered by The Telegraph as well as BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today, who interviewed NFU President Tom Bradshaw from Cereals 2026.
Tom outlined the NFU’s asks, saying there is a “real question mark” as to whether UK farmers can afford to buy fertiliser at the price it could be over the next year.
The Times quoted concerns from Tom in March that disruption to fertiliser trade due to the war could reduce planting in their print edition. It came as part of a wider story on AHDB figures which showed that less farmland was dedicated to barley this year as a result of declining alcohol consumption in the UK.
NFU Combinable Crops Board Vice-chair Andrew Williamson further highlighted the importance of UK farmers and growers having access to ammonium nitrate fertiliser to produce the country's food in an interview on Farmers Weekly’s podcast, also recorded at Cereals.
Bovine TB Strategy refresh
Another key announcement that landed last week was Defra’s long-awaited bTB strategy setting out its plan to achieve Officially Bovine TB-Free status in England by 2038.
NFU Deputy President Paul Tompkins was quoted in The Guardian, The Express and Farming Today (09:07) pushing for urgency in delivering the new bovine TB strategy, with the reports focusing on plans to vaccinate cattle against bovine TB from 2030.
The story was also covered in the farming press, including Farmers Guardian which outlined the NFU's calls for more detail on how TB would be controlled in wildlife populations.
Members in the spotlight
NFU members have also been speaking about important topics in the media this week. NFU South member Al Brooks spoke with BBC News Online about how his fertiliser costs have increased by at least 45% due to the war in the Middle East, leaving him questioning “whether it is worth planting”.
Al’s interview with the BBC was also picked up by GB News.
BBC News Online has also covered an initiative to help farmers take a break and quoted NFU Suffolk County representative George Gittus welcoming the scheme.
And finally, NFU SYFAP (Student and Young Farmer Ambassador) Jack Ancell has spoken with BBC News Online about how he began his career in farming, sharing the story of when he wrote to a local farmer at 10 years old and asked for a job.
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