The NFU annual conference is always a fantastic reminder of how great this organisation it. Not only can it deliver a seamless and very impressive conference (without any external agency support, may I add) but the calibre of speakers, the engagement of members and the volume of media coverage it attracts, are second to none.
During Michael Gove’s speech, I held my breath for what I thought was (finally!) an announcement on the introduction of a new seasonal workers scheme for horticulture. Unfortunately, his incredibly positive words ended with the promise of an announcement ‘soon.’ It was brilliant to hear, however, the Secretary of State say the NFU could have done no more to convince government of the need of a new scheme to secure sufficient workers this year and beyond. Not that we will take our foot off the pedal, but it’s good to hear our hard work has done what it was set out to do.
I was also pleased with the very active and positive horticulture breakout session on the afternoon of the first day. I was delighted to welcome both Tom Hind from AHDB and Maggie Charnley from Defra onto the panel for questions. Tom also gave a very insightful talk on the prospects for the sector post-Brexit.
Of course, I cannot speak about the NFU Conference without congratulating our new office holder team and first woman President. At this critically important time for the industry, it’s great to have such a strong team at the top of our organisation. I look forward to working with them over the coming years.
Another important development over the past week was the release of the governments Command Paper which opens a formal consultation on the future domestic agricultural policy. This is a golden opportunity for us to influence the future UK farming policy, and in particular an opportunity to secure suitable recognition for the public goods delivered by the horticulture and potatoes sector. Here is a really insightful summary of the Command Paper by NFU Adviser, EU Exit and International Trade, Tom Keen, which also sets out a series of workshops that I would encourage you to attend.