It is great to be able to report some good news once in a while. In many ways this year has been one of the most challenging I can remember, but this week we have seen real positive moves across the supply chain which shows that our sector could, and should, have a positive future.
Firstly, it is great to see that the UK’s biggest retailer, Tesco, has made a public commitment to uphold the principles of the NFU’s Fruit and Veg Pledge. Make no mistake – this is a big win for the NFU. Their commitments to develop their sustainability groups across more crops, thereby giving growers more of a say on how their supply arrangements are developed, can only be a good thing. Ultimately, we hope to see Tesco extend its sustainability farming groups across all fresh produce crops and deliver best business practice across the board, so all growers and suppliers to Tesco can feel the benefits.
Secondly, the NFU was centre stage at the Food Foundation’s Veg Summit earlier this week, which saw an impressive line-up of businesses committing to do more to get consumption of fruit and veg up. Commitments from retailers, food service suppliers, manufacturers, government ministers, local authorities, and many more showed a genuine desire to not only increase sales of fresh produce but also support the growth of the UK produce industry so that we can start to reverse the decline in self sufficiency. The NFU’s Deputy President, Minette Batters, spoke in the opening session alongside Defra Minister, George Eustice MP, Chair of the EFRA select committee, Neil Parish MP, and Shadow Defra Minister, David Drew MP. She rightly challenged them to ensure government departments responsible for farming, education and health were joined up and that government creates a Food Plan with cross-party commitments. The future of UK farming and the health of the nation, she said, should not be used as a point scoring exercise.
What was particularly pleasing to see was how much influence the NFU’s Fit for the Future initiative has had across the industry. A number of the pledges mirrored exactly the actions set out in our report and one retailer gave a quote directly from a conversation we had with them last year. There was also a lot of interest in our work over the lunch break when copies of the report were snapped up by the eager delegates.
Finally, I must also mention the impressive level of engagement and cross-industry support at the National Fruit Show this week. It will be no surprise to you that labour shortages were at the forefront of everyone’s mind, but it was very clear that the industry is totally aligned on what needs to be done. The latest NFU survey results show the level of shortages has worsened yet again with September seeing labour providers 29% short of target. This is hitting late season crops and more and more growers are coming forward with examples of crop wastage directly as a result of a lack of pickers. The message from the industry was clear; the supply chain could face significant disruption next year unless Government takes immediate action to prevent a shortfall of workers for agriculture. If government needs it spelling out how this would work, the simplest measure would be a tried and tested seasonal agricultural workers scheme open to non-EU workers to top-up the access we have now to EU nationals. This message has been delivered loud and clear to government - and the industry is speaking with one voice. Please add to that voice by meeting with or writing to your MP: NFU Template letter.