Politically, the last 12 months have been the most challenging the horticulture sector has faced in a very long time. It is no surprise, therefore, that we have been in the media spotlight like never before. This is in no small part down to the hard work and persistence of the teams at the NFU that have ensured our needs and concerns are known and understood not only by government but by the general public too.
The issue of seasonal labour is a case in point. The NFU’s Labour Providers Survey has prompted a significant volume of media coverage throughout 2017, and just this week was even quoted in the New York Times! I’ve no doubt the results of our End of Season Labour Survey will be greeted with much interest too. The interim results from this survey, which are being shared with the Immigration Minister this week, show very clearly how the impacts on productivity and profitability have significantly increased in 2017.
The NFU’s Fruit and Veg Pledge also continues to hit the headlines, with Tesco becoming the fourth retailer to make a public commitment under the pledge earlier this year. This is a major win for the NFU and shows how our proactive campaigns continue to make good ground. I’m also delighted to see the output from the NFU Potato Forum’s review of payment deductions in the potato sector, with the launch of their new report, ‘Bridging the Gap,’ this week. I would encourage all parts of the potato supply chain to engage with this initiative to deliver a greater level of transparency and productivity for the sector.
Challenges on crop protection rose to new levels in 2017. It was great to see the re-approval of Glyphosate for 5 years, but this was by no means a guaranteed outcome and the NFU’s Plant Health Team worked tirelessly to harness support for the approval. Things aren’t looking quite as positive for neonicotinoids, but we will not rest until the decision is finally reached. We also still have much to do to ensure a level playing field on crop protection post-Brexit. It’s interesting to read recent comments from government that the UK could start diverging away from CAP as early as 2019. We have to ensure that this is to the benefit, not detriment of UK growers.
It’s been an interesting year for farm assurance too. Tesco this week announced that it will be dropping the Nurture programme in 2018 and relying solely on Red Tractor Assurance. This is great news in many ways, not least to minimise duplication and reduce auditing costs. Red Tractor also confirmed that the fresh produce scheme has reached equivalence with Global GAP, meaning exporters no longer need an additional Global GAP audit, again avoiding duplication. On the flip side, the standards have been significantly altered and so NFU members will need the NFU’s free Audit Pack more than ever to help prepare for the Red Tractor audit.
I could go on. The challenges facing horticulture have been unprecedented. It has taken considerable time and resource by the horticulture and potatoes board and teams at the NFU, but our efforts have been unwavering. It’s at times like these that you can feel immensely proud of the NFU and its ability to represent the farming community like no other. The harsh reality is that we will not achieve everything we are fighting for, but I have every confidence that the NFU will continue to explore every possible avenue to secure a brighter future for its members.
All that is left for me to say is that I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!