The National Farmers’ Union of Scotland (NFU Scotland) has said its autumn conference will focus on securing a profitable and sustainable future for Scottish agriculture.

The NFU Scotland conference will take place on Thursday, October 26, 2023, at the Carnegie Conference Centre, Halbeath Road, Dunfermline.

With the recent launch of the Scottish government’s Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill, NFU Scotland said it will focus on the need to secure a profitable and sustainable future for Scottish agriculture and the role of policy and regulation in delivering it

The event will see a mix of speakers in person and online who will discuss and debate what future agriculture policy will look like from a Scottish, UK and European perspective.

The event will start at 9:30a.m, with registration from 8:45a.m. It will finish up at 3:00p.m.

NFU Scotland President Martin Kennedy said: “We’re delighted to have such a great mix of speakers already confirmed for our annual autumn conference which is always an excellent platform for lively discussion and debate. 

“Securing the appropriate policy and regulation is key to the success of a sustainable and profitable future for Scottish agriculture that delivers for Scotland’s farmers and crofters and plays an integral part in delivering the nation’s ambitions on climate change, biodiversity and rural communities. 

“It is also important we look and learn from our neighbours both within the UK, in Europe and further afield. 

“The line-up for our autumn conference provides an exciting opportunity for our members to hear and question how Scotland is progressing and what other countries are experiencing, thinking and applying.”

Speakers

The first session, The Scottish policy landscape, will be chaired by NFU Scotland president Martin Kennedy and will kick off at 10:00a.m on the day of the conference.

The session will feature Mairi Gougeon, the cabinet secretary for rural affairs, islands and land reform, who will discuss the role of the Scottish government in supporting a profitable agricultural sector.

Then, before taking a Q&A session, Kennedy will discuss the union’s policy priorities for a sustainable and profitable future for Scottish agriculture.

Session two will begin at 11:30a.m, chaired by one of NFU Scotland’s vice presidents.

The session, A UK perspective, will feature NFU president Minette Batters who will speak what the future for farmers in England looks like.

1:45p.m will see shadow minister for environment, food and rural affairs, Daniel Zeichner, discuss the future of agriculture policy.

Session three will then kick off shortly after at 2:15p.m, chaired by a vice president of NFU Scotland.

The European perspective session will feature Jenny Brunton of the British Agricultural Bureau (BAB) to discuss the future of EU farm policy.

Following Brunton’s presentation, Ronja Björkqvist of the European Council of Young Farmers will discuss a farmer’s perspective on EU policy direction.

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Ahead of this year’s autumn statement, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has written to Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt to ask him to provide the “ever-increasing” certainty that the farming sector seeks.

NFU president Minette Batters’ overarching message to the chancellor ahead of the autumn statement was that running a food and farming business at the moment is “tough”.

Hunt is set to unveil his autumn statement to the House of Commons on November 22, 2023.

Batters said the need for stability and certainty in the agricultural sector is “fundamental to enabling long-term business investment decisions”.

“At this year’s autumn statement, the chancellor could really inject some much-needed stability and confidence into the UK’s food and farming sector,” she said.

“As well as delivering short-term certainty, the NFU’s asks will also help build the foundation for a long-term farming framework, incorporating both public and private finance, to deliver the country’s environmental, productivity and food security needs.”

Energy, ELMs and tax

Batters said that, over the last two years, the UK government has had to intervene to support domestic and commercial consumers access affordable gas and electricity.

“Whilst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been a clear catalyst and driver of energy market volatility, the market infrastructure for commercial energy has facilitated extra risk,” she said.

“The NFU is calling for a HM Treasury review into long-term energy contracts in the commercial sector and improved transparency in this market, making it easier for businesses to select which provider/contracts suit their needs.”

The union is also calling on Hunt to “remove the uncertainty” over the tax treatment of agricultural land entered unto environmental schemes, especially under the UK government’s own Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs).

Currently, agricultural property relief (APR) is available on agricultural land whether used by the owner or a tenant.

“Whilst many of the options available under ELMs in England would not result in land ceasing to be in agricultural use, there is some uncertainty around some options,” Batters said.

“We gathered views from our members and responded to the consultation on APR, stating that the government must remove this uncertainty – or risk undermining the confidence in and uptake of these schemes, as well as the government’s own environmental ambitions.”

Where income tax is concerned, Batters said that she is worried that the requirements imposed on NFU members will be “disproportionate, administratively burdensome and extremely costly”.

“We are asking for concerns around quarterly updates and Basic Period Reform to be addressed and for specific easements be applied to a minority of businesses including removing the quarterly update requirement,” she said.

Environmental markets and the future

Environmental markets are an emerging area of interest to farmers but are currently poorly defined and largely unregulated, Batters said.

“The NFU believes a HM Treasury led cross-government taskforce is best placed to ensure the regulation and oversight of environmental markets in the UK is fit for purpose.

“In order to ensure UK farmers can tap into the potential of new environmental markets, the government must devise effective governance mechanisms as soon as possible.”

Additional topics in Batters’ letter include asks on:

• The slurry infrastructure grant;
• Capital allowances for both incorporated and unincorporated businesses to help incentivise low-carbon investments;
• A further round of the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF), with a longer timeframe and expansion to all rural communities.

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The UK government’s Food and Drink Export Council (FDEC) is set to hold its first ever meeting in Perth, Scotland, next month.

The meeting, which will be held on Wednesday, November 8 during International Trade week at the Black Watch, is aimed at Scottish food and drink businesses already exporting that wish to expand and grow their exports.

The free to attend event will consist of interactive sessions on creating strategic export plans, understanding export markets and identifying and building relationships with overseas partners.

The FDEC is a collaborate expert committee comprised of representatives from the Scottish government, UK government, industry and other devolved administrations focused on boosting UK food and drink exports.

UK government minister for exports and co-chair of the FDEC, Malcolm Offord, said:

“This event will be a big help to any Scottish food and drink exporters who are looking to expand their sales abroad.

“We know there is huge demand internationally for the high-quality food and drink we produce here in Scotland, and the FDEC are looking to do all that we can to help businesses take advantages of the opportunities that are out there.” 

Scottish exports

The meeting is being delivered in partnership between the Department for Business and Trade and Scottish Development International (SDI) on behalf of the FDEC.

Global head of trade for consumer industries at SDI, Ewen Cameron, said: “Scotch whisky is the number one UK food and drink export, with Scottish salmon the UK’s leading food export.

“Scotland has a vital role to play in the success of UK food and drink exports, with this council meeting providing a platform to embed an appreciation and awareness of our strengths with council members and showcase some of our leading exporting companies.

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with other council members, and bringing SDI’s deep knowledge of international growth opportunities, strong relationships with our portfolio of exporters, and effective international networks to deliver economic growth across all regions of Scotland.”

Chief executive of Seafood Scotland and founding member of the FDEC, Donna Fordyce, said the event is a perfect opportunity for Scottish food and drink businesses to learn more about export expansion.

“We know that many Scottish food and drink businesses are already exporting successfully in overseas markets,” she said.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to learn from your peers, find out what works – and what doesn’t – and build your overseas network too.

“This event will enable businesses to accelerate and refine their exporting ambitions in a welcoming and trusted environment.

“We will also be sharing expertise on how to reduce the administrative burden of exporting abroad, something we know will be very welcome.”

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Suffolk County Council has agreed to pass a Conservative Party motion to support local farmers by ensuring all catering at council-organised events is sourced from them.

At Full Council yesterday (Thursday, October 19), the council committed to including meat and dairy options alongside plant-based produce.

53 councillors backed the motion, with three Green Party councillors abstaining from the vote.

This motion to back produce from farmers was proposed by deputy leader of Suffolk County Council, Cllr. Richard Rout, and seconded by cabinet member for public health and public protection, Cllr. Andrew Reid.

The motion aims to raise awareness of the importance of “hardworking farming communities” within Suffolk.

Cllr. Richard Rout said: “I’m delighted that this motion passed but it is disappointing that three Green councillors felt unable to support it.

“Coming from a farming family, I know first-hand just how hard our farmers and growers work to feed and sustain our nation. Agriculture and agribusiness are an integral part of our local economy.

“This motion not only commits us to doubling down on our support for local farmers but also ensures dietary choice at all our events, keeping meat and dairy firmly on the table alongside plant-based options.”

Plant-Based Treaty

Suffolk County Council said many Green, Labour and Liberate Democrat councillors who are members of authorities such as Edinburgh City Council, Norwich City Council, and Oxfordshire County Council have angered their farming communities by signing the Plant-Based Treaty or banning meat and dairy from their buildings and events.

The council said the Plant-Based Treaty “shuns” the construction of any future livestock farm and promotes plant-based foods in schools and hospitals as well as pledging to prioritise vegan food over animal products.

Cllr. Andrew Reid said: “We in Suffolk are rightly proud of our fantastic farming community.

“Through our county farm estate, which spans over 12,000 acres and contributes over £7 million to the local economy, we have 90 agricultural tenants who do so much for our county.

“I was delighted to second this motion and reaffirm our commitment to this vital sector.”

Councils ‘turning their backs on farmers’

Director of external affairs for the Countryside Alliance, Mo Metcalf-Fisher, said: “We have seen a number of local councils turn their backs on farmers in recent years with puerile motions that ban meat and dairy consumption and effectively warn the public off eating it.

“Rural communities have had enough and are fighting back. If we were to lose livestock farming – as is undoubtedly the aim of those wanting to impose plant-based eating – our countryside would turn into a barren wasteland.

“Red meat produced in the UK is among the most sustainable in the world, and it makes every bit of sense for local authorities to encourage the public to play their part in fighting climate change by sourcing seasonal and sustainable produce from local farmers and growers – irrespective of whether its meat or vegetables.

“We hope all political parties support this motion. The countryside is watching.”

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This year’s Welsh National Farmers’ Union (NFU Cymru) conference is set to feature discussions centred on climate change and agriculture’s net zero aspirations.

The event, titled ‘Welsh farming – Producing for the future‘, will take place on Thursday, November 2, at the Metropole Hotel in Llandrindod Wells.

The conference will kick off with an opening speech from NFU Cymru president, Aled Jones, and an address and Q&A with Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths.

The second session will then focus entirely on climate change and agriculture’s net zero aspirations.

Discussions will be led by the head of land, agriculture and nature at the UK Climate Change Committee, Dr Niki Rust.

Rust will be joined by future leaders fellow at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and senior lecturer in environmental data analytics at Cranfield University, Dr Michelle Cain.

Trade and consumer trends

The conference’s third session, focused on trade, will be led by partner at Flint Globally, Sam Lowe, who will provide commentary on the outlook for Wales in the global marketplace.

After a break, food and drink industry analyst Prof David Hughes will make a return to the conference to give insights into consumer trends and behaviours.

The final session will see NFU Cymru president Minette Batters take to the stage to provide her thoughts on what the future holds for UK farmers.

Speaking on the event, NFU Cymru director John Mercer said: “Each year we manage to attract the very best speakers to NFU Cymru Conference and our 2023 line-up promises to be one of our best events to date given the high calibre of speakers who have agreed to join us this year.

“The Agriculture (Wales) Act has paved the foundations to develop new devolved policy here in Wales and the Sustainable Farming Scheme will shape Welsh farming for many years to come.

“Given the anticipated changes to the policy landscape, Wales’ place in the global marketplace and the industry’s ongoing climate change challenges, I believe our expert line-up of guests will help inspire and inform those who attend.”

Mercer said the conference is a popular event among the union’s membership and encouraged interested members to confirm their attendance as soon as possible.

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Alternatives to tree planting can achieve equivalent reductions in emissions while also delivering a broad range of benefits, the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has said.

The union has outlined these benefits at the Plaid Cymru conference, which takes place today (Friday, October 6) and tomorrow (Saturday, October 7) in Aberystwyth.

Hosting a fringe event today, the FUW said tree planting is just one of the many ways in which net Welsh carbon emissions can be reduced.

The FUW highlighted that in 2019, Welsh energy production was responsible for 10,953,000t of CO2 emissions.

Offsetting this, union’s officials stressed, would require around 1.1 million hectares of land to be planted with trees.

FUW president Ian Rickman said: “If all current Welsh emissions were to be offset by tree planting, this would require an area around twice the size of Wales to be planted with trees.”

Rickman said there are a number of alternatives that can be adopted on-farm to achieve the equivalent reduction in emissions and that many can have multiple benefits – not only for individual farms but also on Welsh society in general.

“These could include renewable energy production, other forms of carbon storage and sequestration or improving livestock efficiency,” he said.

“As we move towards the final consultation phase of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), we want to see a scheme that looks at farming and climate change as a collective rather than in isolation.

“For instance, planting trees and offshoring our food production to places with far worse emissions and environmental standards will actually make matters worse on a global level.”

Trees

Delegates heard from the FUW that for large numbers of farms, meeting the 10% tree cover requirement would severely impact on their viability and capacity to produce food, while for certain categories of farm meeting such a requirement would be impossible.

Under current proposals, this would prevent them from being able to access any form of support through the SFS, the union said.

“We know that the Welsh government recognised a number of farm types and land categories where meeting this threshold would not be possible – but far more concessions are needed if large numbers of farm businesses are to avoid severe impacts,” Rickman said.

“Tree planting is just one of the many ways in which net Welsh carbon emissions can be reduced.

“We want to see an SFS that has flexibility so farmers can engage with a scheme that works for their businesses and achieves the outcomes Welsh government are looking for.”

The FUW also highlighted that, under its plans, the Welsh government also aims to see Wales meet 100% of its electricity needs from renewable sources by 2035.

However, as demand for electric vehicles and other alternatives to fossil fuels increases, electricity demand is also set to increase, the union said.

FUW head of policy, Dr Nick Fenwick, said: “It’s estimated that this will increase demand for electricity in the UK by around 10% of current UK production by 2030, rising to between 20% and 33% by 2050 and increasing production of hydrogen for use as an alternative to fossil fuels in certain vehicles will also increase demand for electricity (which is used to create hydrogen).”

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A poll conducted by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has revealed that 65% of its members do not trust the Labour Party to support the English countryside.

The survey of nearly 300 respondents also revealed that 6% do trust the Labour party to support the countryside, with 28% remaining undecided.

CLA president, Mark Tufnell, said this snapshot of the support for the Labour Party shows how far the party has to go to “win over rural voters”.

“Labour says it’s the party of the countryside, but so far its policy announcements have suggested otherwise,” he said.

“Persistent rumours around access and right to roam are of huge concern to many, while scrapping agricultural property relief and business property relief, as was recently reported in the press, would be so damaging when many farmers are already on the brink.

“Removing business property relief would hit family businesses no matter their size, and stripping away agricultural property relief would jeopardise the future of farms up and down the country, at a time of profound change in the industry adjusting to new agricultural policies.”

Tufnell said the poll also reveals that a “significant proportion” of its members are undecided, meaning that the Labour Party still has time to prove itself to rural voters.

“It’s clear that whichever party produces a robust and ambitious vision for the rural economy will secure support,” he said.

In May of this year, a CLA survey revealed an 18% fall in rural support for the Conservative Party.

The survey of over 1,000 people in England’s 100 most-rural constituencies also revealed a surge in support of 16% for the Labour Party.

The organisation for rural landowners said swathes of the Conservative Party’s ‘rural wall’ are defecting to the Labour Party after “years of economic neglect”.

Political parties and British farming

Earlier this week, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) said British food and farming needs to be a priority for all political parties.

The union said it is “more important than ever” for political parties to back British farming ahead of the next general election.

NFU president Minette Batters said: “It’s more important than ever for political parties to back British food and farming.

“The nation’s food security has rarely been more prominent than in the past few years, and with the challenges we’ve faced it’s clear that we need to reassess how we value food and farming.

“Let’s not forget, this is a sector which forms the backbone of our rural communities, our much-loved countryside and our food and drink industry, which is worth more than £100 billion to the national economy and employs four million people.”

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A group of farming and research organisations are teaming up in a bid to better understand the research and innovation priorities for farmers and growers across the UK.

This autumn, a series of workshops hosted by the National Farmers Union (NFU); the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB); Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF); and Innovative Farmers, among others, will ask farmers what research would be most useful to their business, now and in the long term.

The groups will hear views from all major agricultural sectors, across a wide diversity of farming systems. 

The Royal Agricultural University (RAU) is one of the organisers of the research. Prof Tom MacMillan, the Elizabeth Creak chair in rural policy and strategy at RAU said: “The need for innovation in agriculture has never been more urgent.

“Our industry is grappling with rapid changes in policy and trade, heightened volatility, and climate and nature crises.

“Research is vital to help understand these challenges and find ways to address them. As researchers, there is certainly more we can do to make sure our work is truly relevant on the ground.”

Workshops and research

The workshops are supported by organisations including Innovate UK and the Agricultural Universities Council (AUC), which brings together 16 UK universities that carry out research in agriculture.

In May, the AUC published its joint research strategy setting out how the universities would work together to help address challenges facing farming.

Top of the list was working more with farmers and others at the sharp end, to understand their priorities and shape the research agenda.

Chief science advisor for the NFU, Dr Helen Ferrier, said: “It is so important that the voices of farmers and growers are heard when research strategies are developed.

“These are the people who will be turning scientific knowledge into practice in their businesses and they therefore play a key role in enabling Government funding to show a return on investment.

“The positive impact of innovation in our sector can be extremely significant if the research and development and knowledge exchange system works well.”

Challenge director at Innovate UK, Dr Katrina Hayter, said: “Innovate UK recognises the importance of the agri-food sector, understanding its vital role in both the UK economy and environmental sustainability.

“To maintain and enhance this role, we need to continually reassess our strategies and identify the sector’s key research and innovation priorities.

“We are pleased to provide our support to this multidisciplinary initiative and extend our thanks to all those who contributed to the success of the workshops and the creation of the final report.”

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The Scottish region of the National Sheep Association (NSA) has said it is glad that the Scottish livestock sector’s “long wait for clarity” is over with the publication of the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill.

Last week, the Scottish government tabled the new bill to change how farmers and rural communities receive support in Scotland.

The draft Agriculture and Rural Communities Bill would allow the Scottish government to form a new support framework and provide financial and other assistance.

The payments framework would incentivise low-carbon approaches to improve resilience, efficiency and probability in the sector.

NSA Scottish Region said it welcomes the Scottish government’s approach to enabling low carbon, efficient, productive, resilient farming businesses – but hopes that, as the detail of the bill becomes clearer, it is not the case that “policymakers have been blinded by low carbon only and failed to recognise that food production will never be emission-free”.

NSA Scottish Region coordinator, Grace Reid, said: “NSA Scottish Region is keen to see a farm approach that recognises that agricultural businesses plan years ahead.

“The direction of policy and future support schemes need to be transparent, so sheep farmers know what is coming in the long-term and feel appreciated for the critical work they carry out on a daily basis.

“Businesses have had to operate in the dark while we wait for this bill and we need transparency and a clear sense of direction as we proceed from here.”

Reid said the NSA has a duty to protect the “positive practices” in which its flocks already deliver for the wider environment.

“Keeping food and farming at the centre of all future policy decisions is imperative, ensuring the environment is prioritised through farming rather than replacing it,” she said.

“Our future generations will look back at this opportunity to change legislation and it is vital we do not compromise their ability to deliver sustainable food production, enhance the resilience of farming practices and meet environmental and climate change goals.”

A ‘practical approach’

The NSA Scottish Region said a key priority for the association is that the implemented powers and policy of the bill are fair, simplistic, easy to understand and have a “practical approach”.
 
“Following the two Scottish government consultations, which NSA Scottish Region responded to in full, we will now begin to look in detail at what is included within this bill and engage with our sheep farming members on its content,” Reid said.

“I urge all members to take part in the next phase of public participation, which has promised to provide a way to help design and develop the new framework included within the Agricultural Reform Programme.

“Topics such as changes to the 2025 Basic Payment Scheme, Whole Farm Plan, regions and measures are to be covered.”

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The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has said it will showcase why British food and farming needs to be a priority for all political parties at this year’s party conferences.

The union said it is “more important than ever” for political parties to back British farming ahead of the next general election.

The NFU said it will once again have a presence at both the Conservative Party conference (today, October 2) in Manchester and the Labour Party conference (October 9) in Liverpool.

The union said its interactive stand at the conferences will include:

• A gator utility vehicle;
• A glasshouse to demonstrate the “importance of growth” in the horticulture sector;
• A “typical” British landscape featuring sheep, trees, hedges and wildflower borders to “reflect the work farmers do to care for the environment”.

NFU president Minette Batters said: “It’s more important than ever for political parties to back British food and farming.

“The nation’s food security has rarely been more prominent than in the past few years, and with the challenges we’ve faced it’s clear that we need to reassess how we value food and farming.

“Let’s not forget, this is a sector which forms the backbone of our rural communities, our much-loved countryside and our food and drink industry, which is worth more than £100 billion to the national economy and employs four million people.”

Batters said party conferences are a chance for the NFU to showcase all that British farming delivers, but also for MPs, peers, councillors and party members to show their support for a sector which “gives so much to the nation”.

“What we do is important to every single person who eats food,” she said.

“With a general election fast approaching, all parties need to carefully consider the long-term future of farming and how they will help boost homegrown food production. Because British food cannot fail.”

The NFU said the party conferences come against the backdrop of years of uncertainty in the farming sector, as soaring production costs, global market instability caused by the ongoing war in Ukraine, extreme bouts of weather and delays to new farm payments have all put pressure on homegrown food production.

NFU policies

The NFU will ask the political parties to include certain policies in their upcoming manifestos.

These policies include:

• Establish a new food security index and target, including a statutory duty to monitor and report on domestic food production levels annually;
• Clear commitment to a budget that underpins sustainable domestic food production, delivers for the environment and supports all land tenures;
• A smooth and seamless transition to new support schemes that are open to all farmers and growers, less bureaucratic and ensure profitable long-term food-producing businesses;
• Ensure every new policy or regulation includes a ‘food impact assessment test’;
• Produce an enhanced policy-focused government food security report annually that looks beyond food supply and supermarket shelves to assess the short-, medium- and long-term viability of the food sector;
• Increase the powers and resource of the Groceries Code Adjudicator and maintain a commitment to keep it independent of the Competition and Markets Authority;
• Identify opportunities to increase our market share of foods we can produce sustainably, including a commitment to source 50% of food into the public sector from British farms;
• Hold an annual food summit at No.10 to ensure food security remains high on the political agenda;
• Make changes to the planning system to ensure permitted development for infrastructure including glasshouses, reservoirs and slurry stores for the purposes of growing and processing fruit, vegetables, crops and livestock;
• Boost a range of incentives to reduce agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions, by driving productivity, improving energy efficiency, and reducing the impact of inputs like feed, fertiliser and fuel, while producing more climate-friendly food and increasing green energy use;
• Reward for farmers for maintaining, protecting and enhancing our natural environment so everyone can experience the mental health benefits of access to our beautiful countryside;
• Responsible management of public access to the countryside so it can be enjoyed by everyone while recognising that much of it is an active working environment.

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Minette Batters has announced her intention to step down from her role as president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) in February 2024.

Batters has served three terms as NFU president and was the first woman to hold the post. She was first elected in 2018, then in 2020 and again in 2022.

Batters said her decision to step down was “really tough to make” but after ten years at the top of the organisation, it is time for “someone else to take the lead”.

“I have given it my all and there’s a huge job still to be done. I remain determined to deliver what’s needed for our members,” she added.

“It has been an extraordinary time for British farming. From the impact of Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and most recently the cost-of-living crisis, which was exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, and the resulting impact of record inflation for the agriculture sector.

“There has not been a playbook in history for the events that have unfolded.”

Before taking the union presidency Batters served as NFU deputy president for four years, and held other roles with the union such as county chair, Wiltshire’s NFU Council delegate, and Regional Board Chair for the southwest.

Batters runs a mixed farming business in Wiltshire, which includes a continental-cross suckler herd, sheep, and arable.

She also co-founded the campaigning initiatives ‘Ladies in Beef’ and the ‘Great British Beef Week’.

NFU elections are due to be held in the coming months as the next elective term runs from 2024-2026.

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The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced £12.5 million in funding for the development of robotic technologies for sustainable farming.

19 projects will receive a share of the Defra funding through the Farming Futures Automation and Robotics competition.

Farming Minister Mark Spencer announced the funding today (Thursday, September 28) with the aim of boosting productivity, food security and sustainable farming practices in the UK.

Some projects that will avail of the funding include:

• A system to accurately predict and enhance quality of strawberry yields, reduce waste and optimise labour and harvesting schedules;
• A system to digitally map and monitor vineyards using drones, robots and sensors;
• A navigation system for field-based robotic vehicles to improve accuracy and reliability and enable safe navigation in farmyard and field operations. 

Farming Minister Mark Spencer said: “Farmers are always forward-looking, and innovation is key to driving a resilient, productive and sustainable agriculture sector that puts food on our tables. 

“The government stands firmly behind agri-tech innovation as the cornerstone of modern farming practices.

“By providing opportunities, funding and a supportive ecosystem within the sector, we aim to empower farmers, drive innovation and create a sustainable and prosperous future for agriculture across the UK.” 

Farming Innovation Programme

At the World Agri-Tech Summit in London, Spencer outlined the range of competitions under the Farming Innovation Programme that aim to support farming sector investment in new technology.

This includes £10 million currently on offer through the third round of the Small R&D Partnerships competition to help businesses develop a new farming product and service and take it to commercialisation on the open market.

It also includes £4.5 million in funding through the Feasibility Studies Competition to support businesses and researchers through the testing phase of an idea that will improve the productivity, sustainability and resilience of farming.

All the funding for these competitions comes through the Farming Futures Automation and Robotics competition, which is part of Defra’s £270 million Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) and is delivered by Innovate UK.

The FIP has funded 17 competitions since opening in October of 2021.

Challenge director at Innovate UK, Dr Katrina Hayter, said: “Robotics and automation are crucial drivers in addressing the challenges posed by a growing global population and the need for sustainable practices in various sectors, including agriculture.

“By fostering innovation and research, we empower our farmers, growers, foresters and businesses to not only enhance productivity and economic growth but also to lead the way in sustainable practices.

“These projects are a testament to our commitment to improving environmental outcomes and reducing carbon emissions, ensuring a brighter and more sustainable future for our agricultural and horticultural communities.”

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Applications for the Habitat Wales Scheme can be made from this Friday (September 29), the Welsh Minister for Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths, has announced.

Griffiths said contracts under the new agri-environment scheme will commence in January of 2024.

The Habitat Wales Scheme will be an interim scheme to ensure a “seamless transition” from the end of Glastir in December 2023 until the anticipated start of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) in 2025.

Griffiths said the scheme is an important part of Wales’ response to the nature emergency.

“It offers an opportunity to maintain and increase the area of habitat land under management across Wales and will be available to all eligible farmers, including Glastir Advanced, Commons and Organic farmers,” she said.

“It will ensure the work which has taken place through Glastir will continue and is extended as we work towards the introduction of the Sustainable Farming Scheme in 2025.”

‘Difficult financial situation’

Griffiths said members will be aware of the “incredibly difficult financial situation” that Wales is facing, which is having an impact across all portfolios.

“Our financial position is up to £900 million lower in real terms than we expected at the time of the last spending review in 2021, due to very high inflation and energy prices and the mismanagement of the economy by the UK government,” she said.

“As you’ll be aware, the cabinet has been working throughout the summer to do everything we can to mitigate these budgetary pressures.

“Once this work has been completed, I will be in a position to confirm the budget for the scheme.”

Griffiths said the Welsh government is opening the scheme now so that farmers who are interested can see the scheme details and proposed payment rates and apply, ready for contracts to begin in January.

“I would encourage anyone interested in continuing Wales’ proud tradition of agri-environment participation, which aims to benefit our native biodiversity and combat climate change, to give full consideration to applying to the Habitat Wales Scheme, once the application window opens,” she said.

Concerns

Earlier this month, the Welsh branch of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU Cymru) voiced concern that current Glastir contract holders could be left “worse off” as a result of the transition to the new Habitat Wales Scheme.

The union’s rural affairs board has said farmers are fearing the transition to the new environment scheme as it could result in loss of income.

Chair of the NFU Cymru rural affairs board, Hedd Pugh, said: “In a letter to the minister last month, NFU Cymru stressed the need to provide a stable and well-planned transition from current to future schemes.

“We have welcomed Welsh government’s reassurances that it intends to make this period of change as easy as possible for farmers through offering a fair transition over several years and making sure there is no cliff edge in funding.

“However, our concern is that Welsh government appears to have made a decision of such significance without comprehensive impact assessment and economic modelling. This is deeply concerning.”

Pugh said thousands of farmers with Glastir contracts face the prospect of a significant loss of income from the end of the year with Welsh government unable to provide any reassurance that the new, interim scheme will match levels of income currently received through Glastir.

“This is far from a ‘fair transition’,” he said.

“For contract holders, Glastir is a critical component of farm business incomes, including supporting the organic farming sector in Wales.

“With farm input costs through the roof and interest rates soaring, the loss of Glastir leaves farmers currently under contract in a worrying situation.”

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GSC Grays has said the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), despite its problems and delays, may prove to be a “game changer” for farmers.

Rural director at the rural land and property specialist, Greg Ricketts, said the scheme has the potential to boost income for farmers and help them improve their farming technique.

The SFI is currently accepting expressions of interest and will start accepting applications from September 18.

“For some farm businesses, SFI 2023 could be a real game changer in terms of income generation and farming technique,” Ricketts said.

“Perhaps the real beneficiaries will be lowland grass farms which, according to Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), are set to experience a 53% decrease in farm profitability between 2022 and 2023 due to increased input costs and reduced Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments.

“The government have thought seriously about the initiative and are looking to roll out payments for practices which improve productivity, reduce costs, and reduce reliance on support payments.”

Ricketts said that this is likely to result in farmers having to make “quite significant changes” to their businesses, and that carrying on as they have been farming is not likely to be a realistic option for many.

“It would result in more casualties if farmers chose not to change but it also provides farmers with a springboard to create a business that, over time, will be financially viable without the need to be waiting for the annual government payment,” he said.

Herbal leys

Some grassland farmers have already started to introduce herbal leys, GSC Grays said, but did not want the complexity of trying to put in 13 different species as required under a Countryside Stewardship legume and herb rich sward (GS4).

“Under SFI, herbal leys (SAM3) need only two grasses, two herbs and two legumes, allowing farmers to adapt their farming system slightly,” the agency said.

“This means they receive a payment greater than the basic payment (BPS) which they have received historically,” Ricketts said.

“More importantly, in our opinion, there is a focus on profitable production with reduced dependency on feed, fertiliser and fuel inputs and cost which achieves a more profitable system.

“At GSC Grays, we have seen situations where most of the farm is established with herbal leys (£382/ha) where the SFI scheme could deliver a significantly greater overall return than the previous BPS system.”

Initially, Ricketts said there might be some reduction in productivity of livestock but, if balanced correctly against the reduced inputs, the system could still be more profitable going forward than it has been.

“I appreciate the (above) example is at the extreme end of SFI options available, but it highlights the overall potential of SFI to certain farm types,” he said.

“Even where implementation of SFI is not quite as extreme as our example above, there are options for introduction of legumes into grassland swards (£102/ha) and low input grass (£151/ha) which all grassland farmers should be looking at.

“For arable farmers, whilst the payments per hectare may not be quite as great as for grassland, there are still opportunities available where businesses can be adaptable. To benefit from SFI arable farmers must consider their wider rotations.”

SFI options

Ricketts said many farming businesses, because they have been receiving the BPS, have been farming in ways that “do not leave an acceptable margin”, but have continued to do so because the BPS “bailed them out”.

“Now each business needs to assess whether what they are doing is leaving an acceptable profit after all costs are taken into account,” he said.

“If it does not, they need to ask why they are doing it and should they be looking at alternative options.

“The issue on farms now is determining what to put into the SFI options for each individual farm, rather than the application process itself. This is where some specialist advice and guidance from farm business consultants might be required.”

GSC Grays said it expects further announcements about the additional standards that will become available in 2024 by the end of this year, with the full suite of SFI options available by January 2025.

“We also believe that the scheme will evolve over time and the objective of farmers should be to develop farming systems which are profitable without support,” it said.

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Farmers will have additional time to complete their Countryside Stewardship 2024 applications as long as they were started before the deadline of today (Friday, September 15).

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed the additional time today, stating that any farmer struggling to meet the deadline will still be able to benefit from the scheme.

Defra said last month that, following feedback from farmers, the application window for the 2024 Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier agreements was extended by four weeks until today to give more time for farmers and landowners to submit their applications on online.

For all farmers and landowners who started their application by this deadline or who submitted land changes with the intention to apply, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will support them to ensure they have sufficient time to complete these, Defra said.

Since the deadline was extended, over 600 further applications have been received, bringing the total number of Countryside Stewardship 2024 applications to 6,000. 

This builds on the 33,000 Countryside Stewardship agreements successfully in place across England for 2023 – a 94% increase in since 2020.  

Countryside Stewardship runs alongside the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and landscape recovery schemes.

Food and Farming Secretary, Thérèse Coffey, said: “I want as many farmers as possible to be able to sign up to our successful Countryside Stewardship scheme which is boosting food production, protecting the planet, and supporting farmers to run profitable businesses.   

“This is why I extended the initial deadline for Countryside Stewardship 2024 and am making sure that anyone who started their application by the deadline will be given the time and support to complete this.”

Countryside Stewardship

Defra said the UK government continues to listen to feedback from farmers on its schemes – including the Countryside Stewardship.

“Improvements to the Countryside Stewardship scheme have included increasing payment rates on both revenue and capital items; simplifying and improving options to make them more workable on the ground; and making administration around applications and payments more efficient,” it said.

“Further improvements to the system are also in train, including greater flexibility over when farmers can apply and how they manage their agreements, with improved access for tenant farmers and increased access to Higher Tier options and agreements; and the introduction of Countryside Stewardship Plus to encourage the right things being done in the right places, enable local join-up to deliver bigger and better results and facilitate testing of innovative payment mechanisms such as payment by results. “

SFI

On Wednesday (September 13), the government confirmed that farmers who have a live Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023 (SFI) agreement before the end of the year will receive an accelerated payment – worth 25% of the annual value of their agreement – in the first month of their agreement.

Defra said the payment date has been brought forward “in recognition of the challenges faced with inflation and rising input costs”.

The department announced at the end of August that farmers could start registering their interest for the scheme from August 30, and that applications would begin to be accepted from Monday, September 18.

Farmers are able to be in the Countryside Stewardship and the SFI at the same time as long as the actions are compatible, and they are not being paid for the same action twice.

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The Welsh branch of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU Cymru) has voiced concern that current Glastir contract holders could be left “worse off” as a result of the transition to the new Habitat Cymru scheme

The union’s rural affairs board has said farmers are fearing the transition to the new environment scheme as it could result in loss of income.

The Habitat Cymru scheme is set to replace Glastir Advanced, Commons and Organic area-based contracts which come to an end in December 2023 ahead of the introduction of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) in 2025.

The scheme is expected to provide a payment per hectare of eligible habitat land including habitat land previously under management in 2023; additional mapped habitat land, not currently under paid management; as well as maintaining environmental support for common land.

The Welsh government’s interim habitat scheme for 2024 was top of the agenda at NFU Cymru’s rural affairs board, which met earlier this month, the union said.

Chair of the NFU Cymru rural affairs board, Hedd Pugh, said: “In a letter to the minister last month, NFU Cymru stressed the need to provide a stable and well-planned transition from current to future schemes.

“We have welcomed Welsh government’s reassurances that it intends to make this period of change as easy as possible for farmers through offering a fair transition over several years and making sure there is no cliff edge in funding.

“However, our concern is that Welsh government appears to have made a decision of such significance without comprehensive impact assessment and economic modelling. This is deeply concerning.”

Pugh said thousands of farmers with Glastir contracts face the prospect of a significant loss of income from the end of the year with Welsh government unable to provide any reassurance that the new, interim scheme will match levels of income currently received through Glastir.

“This is far from a ‘fair transition’,” he said.

“For contract holders, Glastir is a critical component of farm business incomes, including supporting the organic farming sector in Wales.

“With farm input costs through the roof and interest rates soaring, the loss of Glastir leaves farmers currently under contract in a worrying situation.”

Pugh said NFU Cymru believes that the Welsh government should consider offering Glastir extensions for 2024 with the new interim habitat scheme offered to non-Glastir contract holders.

“The maintenance of current funding levels for farming through the Basic Payment Scheme in 2024, alongside the provision of adequate funding for agri-environment is going to be essential to maintaining the confidence of the industry ahead of Welsh government’s proposed introduction of the Sustainable Farming Scheme from 2025,” he said.

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The Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) has said it and its members need honesty from the Department for Environment, Food and and Rural Affairs (Defra) on the delivery of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI).

The TFA said it held meetings today (Thursday, September 7) with Farming Minister Mark Spencer and the chief executive of the Rural Payments Agency (RPS), Paul Caldwell.

In the meetings, the association for UK tenant farmers said it called for urgent measures to either significantly improve the opportunity for farmers to get involved with the SFI or deliver other measures which recognise the “severe cash flow crisis” affecting farm businesses across England.

The TFA said it has scheduled a further meeting with Spencer on September 14 to review progress.

The association’s call echoes that of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), which recently urged Defra to “bridge the gap” it has created by taking away one set of payments, but not delivering access to their replacements on time.

TFA chief executive, George Dunn, said “We are encountering huge frustrations amongst TFA members over the lack of progress in rolling out the new schemes in Defra’s Agricultural Transition Plan (ATP) that will replace the 50% of Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments set to be lost by the end of next year.

“For farm businesses already being hit by the impact of significant inflation in inputs and a downturn in market returns, lack of progress in the delivery of the ATP means robust business planning for the medium to long term has become virtually impossible.

“Additionally, Defra’s ability to meet its own environmental targets will also be negatively impacted.”

New payment schemes

Dunn said it is “hugely disappointing” that the department is unable to respond to the farming community’s appetite for new payments schemes.

“The announcement from Defra on Saturday (August 26) that expressions of interest for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2023 can now be lodged with claims active from September 18 is better news, but it leaves some key questions,” he said.

“With the Countryside Stewardship application window already extended, we need assurances that there will be sufficient capacity within the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) to deal with both strands of work alongside its business-as-usual workload.

“Defra and the RPA must now move at pace to provide a straightforward mechanism to allow significant early uptake of SFI. As we have done all along, we will continue to provide robust scrutiny and challenge to Defra and the RPA to ensure they deliver.

“However, we need honesty now. If the pace of necessary implementation cannot be assured, this will be massively damaging to the cash flow of many farm businesses throughout the length and breadth of England and reneges on the promises made to the farming community that new public payments for public goods schemes would be put in place as BPS payments fell away. In this situation the inevitable conclusion is that, until the picture improves, this year’s Basic Payment Scheme reduction should be reversed and further planned reductions put on hold.

Dunn said farmers need a clear view of the way ahead, beyond the next election, setting out a forward plan for the ATP on a scheme-by-scheme basis.

“SFI will not be appropriate for all farm businesses and therefore we need to ensure that all the elements of the ATP are taken forward to achieve maximum benefit for individual farm businesses and for the delivery of public benefits,” he said.

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The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has said that farmers are facing a “bleak end to 2023” due to delays in the roll out of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI).

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced at the end of August that farmers could start registering their interest for the scheme from August 30, and that applications would begin to be accepted from Monday, September 18.

However, the NFU said the SFI should have been up and running to deliver payments by December, but “critical delays” in the roll out of the scheme mean most farmers are unable to access it.

NFU president Minette Batters said: “We now know that farmers will not be paid this year, despite assurances that they would be.

“With farm input costs through the roof and interest rates soaring, this leaves farmers in a perilous place.

“The old scheme goes, the new one’s not ready, and farm businesses are caught in the middle. That’s not fair and we are calling on ministers to recognise that and make it right.”

The NFU said the delays in SFI have coincided with “major reductions” to the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) – the scheme that SFI is set to replace – and that this leaves farmers facing “a double whammy in the run-up to Christmas”.

“It’s Back British Farming Day next week; a celebration of farming and growing, of great food, of our countryside and of people who make a huge contribution to the UK economy,” Batters said.

“It would be great if government could have some good news on this for farmers then.”

Farming Minister Mark Spencer said the government understands the challenges that farmers face and “always listen to their concerns”.

“The improvements that we’ve made to our farming schemes over the last 12 months – with increased payment rates and greater flexibility – are evidence of that.

“The Sustainable Farming Incentive has already received thousands of expressions of interest from farmers over the last week ahead of applications starting from September 18, and we are actively considering how we respond to the issues raised by the NFU.”

‘Bridge the gap’ in payments

Batters said the union is asking for the UK government to “bridge the gap” it has created by taking away one set of payments, but not delivering access to their replacements on time.

The union said it is calling on ministers to halt any further reduction in existing farm payments – which it said are due to fall by another £720 million this year – until the problems with SFI are resolved.

The NFU said that, although farmers could register an expression of interest in SFI on August 30 and then await an invitation to apply – meaning the scheme was technically open – the reality is “very different”.

“Consequently, payments farmers were relying on will not come this year and will come to only a handful of farmers in the early part of 2024,” the union said.

“By comparison, the old EU farm payments scheme, known as BPS, had 83,000 claimants.”

NFU vice president David Exwood said: “Paying farmers this year was one of the government’s own key tests for delivery of the scheme.

“With the scale of the roll out of SFI 23 still unclear and with many farmers still not sure what they need to do to apply, the current situation needs to be resolved quickly.”

“Government needs to pause BPS reductions until it can fairly deliver their replacements, otherwise it is farming businesses and farming families which are left bearing the cost.”

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A new Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) marketing campaign will use the term “British” to describe its meat and dairy products.

AHDB’s We Eat Balanced campaign will return on September 8 and run until October 22.

AHDB had previously been restricted from using “British” as the primary message because of EU State Aid Rules.

However, earlier this year guidance on the new UK rules, as part of the Subsidy Control Act, was published, opening the way for this change.

The We Eat Balanced campaign aims to promote consumer awareness and seek “long-term positive attitudes” towards British red meat and dairy.

Future use of “British” and the Union Flag will also be reflected in the Love Pork campaigns, AHDB said, including Feed the Family for Less.

This will expand to export activities, where AHDB event stands will prominently feature the Union Flag. 

AHDB’s director of marketing, Liam Byrne, said: “We are incredibly proud that we have raised the bar yet again for 2023, with our industry leading We Eat Balanced campaign.  

“By incorporating the ‘British’ message, which we know is important to consumers, our aim is to highlight the exceptional taste and quality of our home-grown meat and dairy, whilst advocating its role in a nutritionally balanced and sustainable diet.  

“We believe that through these efforts we can foster a strong and enduring connection between consumers and our British farmers, who are so passionate about providing quality and sustainable food at every step of its journey, from field to fork.” 

AHDB beef and lamb board member, James Shouler, said: “It is encouraging to see a campaign equipping consumers with facts about a healthy diet that is also sustainably produced.

“The We Eat Balanced campaign is supporting the British farming industry at a time when there is a plethora of imbalanced information about nutrition and food production.”

The We Eat Balanced campaign will feature on social media, in newspaper, vide on demand and in the stores of eight major supermarkets where on-pack stickers will bring consumers to pages of healthy meat and dairy recipes, AHDB said.

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The Welsh branch of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU Cymru) has appointed Iestyn Pritchard as its new head of operations.

Pritchard will join the senior leadership team at the union and will work with its county advisors and group secretaries to oversee the membership.

He will take over the role from Kevin Owen, who has taken up a new role within the NFU as head of network and subscriptions.

NFU Cymru director, John Mercer, congratulated Pritchard on his appointment and said his role is a vital one within the union.

“…I have no doubt that Iestyn will hit the ground running and do a fantastic job for our members throughout Wales,” he said.

“We continue to grow as an organisation and have seen sustained membership growth in recent years and so Iestyn’s role will be crucial in ensuring that our offer remains relevant and we continue to provide the best possible offering for our membership.”

Speaking on his appointment, Pritchard said: “Welsh farming contributes hugely towards the economic, environmental, and social wellbeing of Wales, as we once again embark on a significant period of change for the industry, these are key messages that need to be heard. 

“As an organisation we have a responsibility to ensure that our members are well informed and engaged with policy delivery across a wide range of areas that affect their business. 

“Central to this is ensuring that we have a strong and visible network for members to access, offering the best representation both locally and nationally through our established group secretary and county adviser network.”

Iestyn Pritchard

Pritchard is currently NFU Cymru’s county advisor for Anglesey, Mid Gwynedd and Meirionnydd, and NFU Cymru said recruitment for his replacement will take place shortly.

In the meantime, Pritchard will continue in his job as county advisor alongside his new role as head of operations.

Pritchard is a past student of the Welsh Agricultural College in Aberystwyth and the union said he has a “strong background and experience of both lowland and upland farming”.

Before joining NFU Cymru, he worked with the economy and community department at Gwynedd Council as a regeneration officer.

Prior to this, Iestyn worked as a Young Farmers Club (YFC) organiser in Anglesey before starting at Menter a Busnes and, later, the Farming Connect local facilitator team where he became director of operations.

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Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is announcing over £60 million in funds for different projects centred on food security and the agricultural industry in Nigeria.

The aim of the supports is to make Nigeria’s agriculture sector more “climate resistant”, the UK government said.

As part of a four-day visit to the country, Cleverley announced a £10 million UK-backed facility in Nigeria in partnership with finance company InfraCredit in Lagos yesterday (Tuesday, August 1).

The aim of the facility is to unlock sustainable and climate-friendly infrastructure development projects.

Cleverley will then travel to Abuja today (Wednesday, August 2) to announce a £55 million Propcorn+ contract – a UK International Climate Finance programme.

The programme aims to enable the transformation of Nigeria’s rural economy by supporting four million people in Nigeria to adopt and scale-up sustainable agricultural practices

This includes improving the health of animals, making crops more resilient, and introducing cleaner cooking practices.

This in turn will help increase productivity, capacity and resilience among small-scale farmers and rural communities across Nigeria while reducing carbon emissions and protecting natural ecosystems, the UK government said.

It will be be further supported by a £2.89 million grant.

Nigerian agriculture

According to the UK government, more than two thirds of Nigeria’s population is dependent on agriculture for employment.

It hopes that this new funding will boost the country’s agricultural sector’s productivity and resilience to the impacts of climate change.

As a result, the UK government said it hopes the funding will initiate the transforming of Nigerian critical agriculture and food systems for the benefit of people, climate and nature.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverley said: “Nigeria has a booming population and the largest economy in Africa – there is huge potential for an even closer partnership between UK and Nigerian businesses which will be of mutual benefit to both countries.

“Together we are focussing on the future, putting in place green, clean measures, both in agriculture and infrastructure development, to create climate-resilient solutions for the global challenges we all face today and will increasingly face in the years to come.”

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Discussions are set to take place between the UK and Turkey over a revised and comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with UK farm organisations keen to grow the market for their produce.

The FTA currently in place was signed in December 2020 and predominantly covers industrial goods and provided continuity to businesses, thereby safeguarding supply chains following the UK’s departure from the EU.

A clause was included in the FTA that committed the UK and Turkey to reviewing the trade relationship, a process which began last year.

A consultation is expected to be launched which will be an opportunity for businesses, organisations and individuals to help shape the UK’s negotiating aims ahead of the talks with Turkey.

NFU president Minette Batters said: “A new and updated trade deal with Turkey could present opportunities for UK farmers to sell more quality, sustainable British food overseas, especially for products such as our lamb and dairy.

“If we are granted greater access to the Turkish market, I am confident that our traceability, food production and safety standards would be very well received by consumers there and we could see the value of our exports grow.”

Batters added that the forthcoming talks offer a chance for the government to “uphold its values on high production standards, its commitment on fair competition for UK farmers, and to consider the full impacts and opportunities for our domestic agricultural sector”.

Following the consultation, the government expects to start renegotiations next year.

Trade with Turkey

With the trading relationship between the UK and Turkey worth £23.5 billion in 2022, a 30% increase from 2021, the discussions are being welcomed as an opportunity to grow the partnership further.

Secretary of State for the Department for Business and Trade, Kami Badenoch said: “Turkey is an important trading partner for the UK and this deal is the latest example of how we are using our status as an independent trading nation post-Brexit to negotiate deals that are tailored to the UK’s economic strengths.

“I look forward to using the deal to deepen the UK-Turkey trading relationship, drive economic growth and support businesses up and down the country.”

A statement from the Department for Business and Trade said: “A new FTA could also potentially lead to cheaper goods and more choice for UK consumers.”

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National Farmers Union (NFU) livestock board chair Richard Findlay has today ( Tuesday, July 26) voiced his “concern” over recent price trends in the UK beef market.

Findlay has commented on the prices that farmers have received for their produce recently, and warned that confidence in beef production in the UK would be eroded because of current trends.

“There is growing concern that we’re seeing sustained falls in the GB beef price. In the last eight weeks we’ve seen over 20p/kg deadweight come off the clean steer price,” he said.

“If the current trend continues, confidence in UK production, which is already low, will be further eroded as livestock producers look to manage input costs of feed and fertiliser, and will be considering whether they can make the SFI23 (Sustainable Farming Incentive) offer work for them.”

Regarding the downturn in the UK beef prices, Findlay provided his own opinions regarding the influences of inflation and food consumption on the production of beef in the UK.

“Certainly the cost of living crisis driven by food inflation continues to have an impact on demand,” he continued.

“We have seen the beef category in UK retail fall by 2.7%, with consumers choosing to trade down to cheaper proteins and lower priced options.

“However, it’s not all bad, red meat consumption has held up pretty well despite food inflation hitting 17.3%,” he added.

“But when we see the market share of meat alternatives declining by 12.9% it tells me that consumers still value the quality and nutritious value of red meat in their diet.”

However the NFU livestock board chair said he remains frustrated about the prices that farmers are currently receiving and believes that they are not being sufficiently compensated for their produce.

“With worldwide demand continuing to outstrip supply I find it frustrating that our hard-working members are not adequately rewarded for the investment, risk and time they put into producing such a quality product,” he explained.

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The Rt Hon Lord Goldsmith has resigned as minister just days after he was named in the House of Commons report on the partygate scandal.

In his resignation letter today (Friday, June 30) he criticised the government over “abandoning” its animal welfare, climate and nature commitments, singling out Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in particular.

“The problem is not that the government is hostile to the environment, it is that you, our Prime Minister, are simply uninterested. That signal, or lack of it, has trickled down through Whitehall and caused a kind of paralysis,” he said.

He cited in particular the “ditched” Kept Animals Bill and claimed the government has “effectively abandoned” its “pledge to spend £11.6 billion of our aid on climate and environment”.

“Indeed the only reason the government has not had to come clean on the broken promise is because the final year of expenditure falls after the next General Election and will therefore be the problem for the next government,” he said.

“This government’s apathy in the face of the greatest challenge we have faced makes continuing in my current role untenable,” he added.

“With great reluctance I am therefore stepping down as a minister in order to focus my energy where it can be more useful.”

Goldsmith’s resignation comes just two days after he was chastised in a Committee of Privileges report into former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s conduct regarding the partygate scandal, referring to the government social gatherings during the Covid-19 pandemic, published on Wednesday (June 28).

The House of Commons committee was inquiring into whether former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had committed contempt of Parliament by intentionally misleading the House of Commons.

It said it was concerned “in particular” at the involvement of government members in attempting to “influence the outcome of the inquiry”.

It said these certain members were aiming to discredit the committee and its findings.

In a list of some of the “most disturbing examples” it listed Goldsmith’s post on Twitter whereby he retweeted a tweet calling the inquiry a witch hunt and kangaroo court, and added: “Exactly this. There was only ever going to be one outcome and the evidence was totally irrelevant to it.”

Goldsmith

Goldsmith will be leaving his position as Minister of State (Overseas Territories, Commonwealth, Energy, Climate and Environment).

As minister his responsibilities included animal welfare; forestry policy; international environment, climate, biodiversity and conservation; and green financing, among others.

He was also the lead for the Forestry Commission and Lord Minister for environment, including the Environment Bill.

Previously, he was a minister with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Goldsmith said he became involved in politics because of his “love and concern for the natural environment”.

“We depend on nature for everything,” he said in his resignation letter.

“Logically, there is nothing more important.”

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Three years after the UK made the decision to leave the European Union there has been much speculation and conversation from politicians and businesses alike as to how it has affected the country and whether Brexit was one big mistake.

Hearing from people within the agricultural industry, it is still a fairly mixed opinion, however it does seem that the issues facing British farmers are more of a “global” and “government” issue, rather than Brexit-related.

According to a farmer in the UK “Covid-19 caused more disruption to UK agriculture than Brexit”.

Olly Harrison, an arable farmer on the outskirts of Liverpool said: “It has complicated imports such as seed and we have different regulations regarding chemicals coming in.

“However, this is not a Brexit problem, it’s a UK government and European problem of not being fully-a-foot getting things in order.

“It is all solvable, but it hasn’t been done in a timely manner.”

Harrison said that he thinks even with the current state of UK agriculture, they are still better off out of the EU as he thinks “we’d have got even more tangled up in the energy crisis”.

His biggest concern for farmers currently is the rising interest rates, “it’s crazy, it seems to be the elephant in the room, no one seems to want to mention interest rates”.

“Two years ago I swapped my combine and the interest on the deal was £24,000 over a six-year term, if I made that same deal today on these interest rates, it would’ve been £78,000.

“Someone is making money somewhere and it’s not farmers.”

Land values

There was a perception coming from farmers and investors that land value was going to drop, along with concerns that the land market itself was going to slow down.

Grace Millbank, a chartered surveyor from Bletsoes said: “In the past 12 months, it is evident that the land market remains buoyant, with strong values achieved for both bare land and complete residential farms.

“The apparent confidence in the farmland market which has continued to grow even since we left Europe, suggests that the perception amongst farmers and investors is that land remains a highly valuable asset, and the pre-Brexit worries that the market place would take a sharp drop, does not seem to have come to fruition as yet.”

Millbank explained that in terms of farming and environmental policy, Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) “have been very eager to demonstrate that now schemes such as Basic Payment Scheme and Countryside Stewardship are outside of EU jurisdiction, there is room for the rules to be changed”.

“One such example is the change to the penalty system, which has arguably become less harsh on “accidental” breaches, since coming under domestic control,” she said.

“Being outside of Europe has also allowed for the removal of the upper limit on funding available on Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants, which has made the scheme more accessible to those wishing to pursue larger projects on their holding.”

Grants after Brexit

When leaving Europe, Britain waved goodbye to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments, leaving them less reliant on production support and more so on profitable farming.

Like many, Dewi Parry is fundamentally against the support, but with poor prices from retailers and rising input costs, farmers have been left with no choice but to be dependent on them.

Parry, who farms sheep in Wales said: “Brexit has negatively affected agriculture to date in Wales, however it’s nuanced. I am no defender of the EU on agriculture, or the CAP, but farmers knew where they stood, there was certainty.

“Welsh farmers do not know what the replacement Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) is going to pay out for, nor, importantly, how much the payments may amount to.”

He added that CAP wasn’t a “good piece” of legislation. Parry said: “It was a blunt instrument to keep food more affordable, but had the inevitable consequence of making some farms massive, by enabling them the capital to easily swallow up next door’s farm.”

Former National Federation of Young Farmers Club (NFYFC) chairman and arable farmer, Ed Dungait explained the biggest effect of Brexit on the arable sector will be the loss of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS).

“It is a huge income problem, but on principle I don’t feel that we should all have been getting area payments.

Dungait said that he is “aware” that some have felt the pinch of Brexit much more than others, especially those in the livestock sectors with added difficulties in imports and exports, along with the concern of new trade deals flooding the market, and meat being imported that has been produced to lower welfare standards than the UK.

He added: “Grain is a world commodity and the price is set by global trade, so I can’t say for me personally it has affected me.

“However, I would say that the leaders of the Brexit campaign have not delivered as I had hoped.”

A global problem

Parry believes that the EU, Welsh and UK Governments are all guilty of the same thing. “They’re apportioning blame locally for a global problem,” he said.

He explained his views on the stigma around farmers and the current ‘climate crisis’ and said that the “world needs to address the problem”.

He said: “I think climate change is real, we are a species who learnt how to harness fire and have spent 4,000 years finding more things to burn; if you set your sofa on fire, your front room is going to heat up, it’s obvious.

“There is no sense though in farming sustainably in Snowdonia if you’re going to import food from a deforested Amazon. Same goes for animal welfare standards.

“They are part of your ethics, and your ethics matter everywhere, or they matter nowhere. The only way to stop environmental damage in the global south is if the affluent west stop buying in environmentally damaging produce.”

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The weekend of the coronation of King Charles at the beginning of May saw a large increase in the consumption of meat across the country, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has said.

The uptake of meat over the coronation weekend was predicted by the AHDB early in May, as previous Royal Family events, such as Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, showed a significant increase in the consumption of meat.

The most popular choice of meat over the weekend was pork, but the public enjoyed a wide range of goods, including beef, lamb, and many dairy and poultry products.

Meat consumption

Pork pies and cooked sausages were firm favourites of the weekend, as sales rose by 20% and 16%

Sausage rolls saw a 22% uplift during the coronation, when compared with the last two weeks of April 2023.

Sliced beef-based cooked meats saw a rise, which the AHDB said was “perhaps due to increased patriotism for quintessential British flavours such as roast beef and horseradish sandwiches”.

As a roast rack of lamb was one of the official coronation dishes, AHDB head of marketing Carrie McDermid said the dish “highlights the important role British livestock farmers play in sustainable food production.”

Other sectors

Other farming sectors also profited from the coronation, as the dairy industry saw fresh cream sales rise by 80%, with the public eager to make homemade deserts and baked goods, including the coronation quiche.

The coronation quiche, which was personally chosen by the King and Camilla, no doubt contributed to the consumption of dairy products, as the ingredients include cream, cheese, butter, and milk.

Grocery sales went up 16% during the week of the coronation when compared with the average two-week period.

The coronation caused sales of scotch eggs to go up by 31%, as the poultry sector saw a rise in the use of their produce across the weekend.

Charlotte Forkes-Rees, an analyst at AHDB said: “This latest data shows the importance of key events for food consumption habits.

“The nation loves to celebrate, so even ad hoc events such as the King’s Coronation provides an excellent opportunity to boost sales of both red meat and dairy.”

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The UK government’s free trade agreements (FTAs) with both Australia and New Zealand are now in effect from today (Wednesday, May 31).

The National Farmers Union of Scotland (NFUS) has said that the commencement of the “damaging trade deals” will cause issues for farmers.

NFUS president, Martin Kennedy, described the UK government’s track record on the UK-Australia and UK-New Zealand free trade agreements as “one of failure”.

Kennedy said: “Both of these FTAs were negotiated in 2021 without the interests of primary producers in mind but with politically-driven haste in the wake of the UK’s departure from the EU.

“The UK government failed to protect Scottish farming interests, failed to properly engage with stakeholders and failed to provide Parliament with proper scrutiny on such deals once agreed.”

Kennedy also accused the UK government of using agricultural interests and access to the food and drink sector as “cheap bargaining chips” to secure “more lucrative market access for other sectors”.

“There was little or nothing in these damaging trade deals for Scottish food or farming, a fact that former Defra Secretary of State George Eustice recently recognised.

“NFU Scotland has consistently highlighted the clear lack of meaningful safeguards to protect domestic food security, in addition to the cumulative impacts for particular sectors such as beef, lamb and dairy posed by two giants of global agri-food trade,” he added.

Farmer concerns are ‘misplaced’

But the UK government has said that the concerns of farmers and farming organisations about the FTAs are “misplaced for several reasons”.

Market access for Australian producers, it said, will be phased in gradually for “sensitive products” like beef and sheep meat.

The quota system which limits the volume of tariff-free imports of certain products from Australia for up to 10 years also aims to offset negative impacts on UK farmers.

However the President of the National Farmers’ Union, Minette Batters, said UK farmers will suffer as more Australian and New Zealand produce becomes available in the country.

She said it is clear that UK farmers have “very little to gain from these two deals” and that they will inevitably result in a “tougher trading environment” for UK farmers.

The government’s Impact Assessment (IA) shows a negative effect on the UK agriculture, forestry and fishing; and the semi-processed food sector as a result of the deals.

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Scotland’s Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon has written to the Prime Minister to call for better engagement between both governments on the issue of food security.

In a letter today (Friday, May 19), she said she was “disappointed” that Scottish ministers were not invited to the UK’s Farm to Fork Summit earlier this week.

The MSP for Angus North and Mearns called for details of the announcements made at the summit, and in the Prime Minister’s coinciding public letter to farmers.

“It is vital…that we receive some more information about any funding announcements described in your letter this week to enable us to gauge the sufficiency, extent and implications of those announcements for the sector and to understand how these apply to Scottish agri-food producers and those of the other devolved governments,” she said.

“A key question, for example, is whether this is new money as Scotland would clearly want to see its fair share if it is,” she added.

Gougeon said that without further information, she is “not convinced” that the announcements will go far enough for the sector.

Among the announcements in Sunak’s letter was a set of principles regarding new trade deals, which Gougeon said are “a little too late” and confirm that earlier trade deals were “poorly negotiated by the UK government”.

“While we will wait to see the effect of these new principles in the negotiation of future arrangements, it is imperative that UK ministers work together with, and actively listen to, ministers from the devolved governments and industry to ensure that our agri-food producers across the whole of the UK  are better protected going forward,” she said.

The Scottish minister copied this letter to Welsh Minister for Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths and to the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service.

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The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has said that the Agriculture (Wales) Bill should have gone further, following discussion on its amendments in the Senedd on Tuesday (May 16).

The union believes that the bill has missed opportunities, and in particular that the absence of economic viability of agricultural businesses and family farms from the Sustainable Land Management objectives is a significant concern.

“We have been consistent in our calls for the inclusion of an economic objective because without viable farm businesses, we will not see the wider environmental, social and cultural gains that we all want to achieve,” FUW president Glyn Roberts said.

Union officials were also disappointed that the amendments tabled to support new and young entrants to farming were unsuccessful.

“In order to have a sustainable, thriving industry we must open doors to those wishing to enter the industry,” Roberts added.

“There was an opportunity if some amendments had been supported to ensure that there is support available to those new entrants who all too often struggle to get their foot on the ladder.

“Since this opportunity has been missed, it is more important than ever that the Sustainable Farming Scheme is accessible for all farmers, including young farmers and new entrants.”

The union did welcome the amendment to include a multi-annual support plan in the bill, which will give information about how Welsh ministers expect to use their powers and set out how they plan to provide support.

FUW said this has been one of its key demands, and will place farmers in Wales on an equal footing to those in England.

The bill will now move to stage four.

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The UK’s Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP) is looking to appoint new members, as well as a new chair.

The committee is currently seeking members to fill “high profile” roles covering issues facing the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The ECP is seeking members with expertise in the following areas:

• Ecotoxicology;
• Toxicology;
• Dietary exposure and residues;
• Biopesticide.

Applications must be received before the closing deadline of 12.00pm on June 16, 2023.

The chair will receive £400 /day on committee or expert group business plus £150 preparation fee. Members of ECP biopesticide cloud will receive £300/day on committee or expert group business plus £150 preparation fee.

Members under ECP Residues in Food group (PRiF) will receive £146/day on committee or expert group business.

The ECP provides independent advice to the government on the science relating to pesticides and its secretariat is provided by the HSE.

It is a successor body to the Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP), which was abolished in March of 2015, after the coming into force of The Public Bodies (Abolition of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides) Order 2015.

The ECP publishes an annual report summarising the work of the committee in relation to matters on the approval, authorisations and use of Plant Protection Products (PPPs).

Meetings

Committee meetings are generally closed to the public due to the “commercially sensitive nature” of the information disclosed, the ECP said.

However, the committee aims to hold an open meeting each year.

The ECP publishes agendas a few days before each meeting and will normally publish the full minutes after they have been agreed at the following meeting.

ECP advice resulting from matters considered at committee meetings are annexed to ECP minutes.

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A dedicated Food Security Unit has been established in Scotland to monitor supply chains for possible disruption.

Its establishment was a key recommendation of the Short-life Food Security and Supply Taskforce, which was set up by the Scottish government and industry last year in response Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The purpose of the unit is to monitor food system resilience so that Scotland is able to react quickly to any future shocks.

Speaking ahead of a parliamentary debate on Securing a Sustainable Food Supply for Scotland later today (Thursday, March 18), Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said:

“In the recent past we’ve seen several significant events impacting our food and drink sector, including Covid-19, the war in Ukraine and, crucially – the UK Government’s choice to pursue a hard Brexit, which took us out of the EU and the Single Market.

“On top of this there has been further disruption to supply chains resulting from climate volatility, something that we are likely to see more of in the future.

“I want to ensure we are able to anticipate and adapt to shocks as much as possible, while we develop policies to try to mitigate them and reduce their likelihood.

“While it is not possible to predict all impacts, our new dedicated Food Security Unit will enable better long-term insight into global supply chain performance – helping us to improve our responsiveness to potential crises. 

“Our farmers and crofters are essential to Scotland’s food security and I am committed to supporting our nation’s producers, in the short term, by maintaining direct payments, and in the long term through our new Agriculture Bill and reform programme.”

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The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has said that the UK government must build on the announcements made by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the Farm to Fork Summit.

The summit, which took place at 10 Downing Street yesterday (Tuesday, May 16), saw senior representatives in the UK’s farming, horticulture, and agri-food sectors come together to discuss the issues and solutions for the sector.

Sunak said international trade is “critical” to food security and stopping a repeat of food shortages experienced earlier this year, and announced six principles to ensure British farming is at the heart of British trade, as well as a £2 million in Britain’s presence at major trade shows; five additional agri-food and drink attaches; and a £1 million programme to support the dairy sector in specific to export.

Other government announcements at the summit included confirming the number of seasonal workers for the horticulture sector this year as well as reviews, begining in the autumn, into the horticulture and egg sector, following the shortages experiences in UK supermarkets earlier this year.

Building on Farm to Fork announcements

President of the NFU, Minette Batters, said she was “absolutely delighted” that Sunak delivered on his commitment to host the summit, and said his announcements show “a recognition and understanding” of the importance of British farming.

However, Batters said the UK government must now “build on these announcements” to demonstrate and prove its commitment to UK farmers and farming businesses beyond international trade.

“We are calling for a set of core agri-food import standards for trade,” she said.

“Whilst it is pleasing government is looking to maintain self-sufficiency at 60%, we believe there’s an opportunity to produce much more of our own food here. We can and should be more ambitious and look to move beyond this target.

“Vitally, the Farm to Fork Summit should become an annual event, as our food supply is part of the UK’s national infrastructure and will ensure that food security never drops down the political agenda, across all parties, again.”

‘Momentum must not be lost’

The Scottish branch of the NFU, NFU Scotland, also commended Sunak on the hosting of the Farm to Fork Summit, but said that its “momentum must not be lost” and that progress must be regularly reviewed.

NFU Scotland’s president, Martin Kennedy, said the summit must be viewed by the UK government as “the start of an annual process that recognises the importance of domestic food production”.

He also said that the event should prompt the government to put robust measures in place to ensure the whole food supply chain takes positive steps to “address the significant shortfalls that we currently see around the nation’s food security”.

“The event brought a sharp focus on the importance of domestic production and the need for change,” he said.

“All in the room needed to appreciate that recent events, including empty supermarket shelves, means that food can no longer be produced for prices that are below the cost of production.

“The solution is clear. If you’re looking to secure domestic food production, it starts by supporting the primary producer in the face of rising input costs and volatile output prices, poorly negotiated trade agreements and supply chain inequities.”

Discussing the challenges

Kennedy said the summit presented representatives in the UK’s farming, horticulture and agri-food sectors with the chance to raise the “huge challenges” they continue to face.

He said farmers still need more proof of long-term commitment from the UK government.

“A commitment that the 45,000 seasonal worker visas available this season could be extended is welcome, but our growers need long-term commitment from the UK government to this scheme to allow them to plan ahead,” he said.

“It also remains hugely disappointing that our farmers and growers will not benefit from the highest levels of relief on energy despite the huge costs now associated with rearing, growing and storing produce. 

“That decision needs to be reversed or farmers and growers will simply cut production to limit losses and our food security will deteriorate, undermining the amount of good work today’s summit achieved.”

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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has met with some of the stars of the popular Amazon Prime TV series Clarkson’s Farm.

Kaleb Cooper and farm advisor Charlie Ireland were at 10 Downing Street today (Tuesday, May 16) to contribute to the first-ever UK Farm to Fork Summit.

The purpose of the summit is to bring together representatives from the whole food supply chain to identify ways to boost growth, drive innovation and improve sustainability in the food system.

Cooper, who is 24 years old, spoke with Sunak on behalf of young farmers. According to a social media post by the Prime Minister, the pair discussed ways to get more young people into farming.

“It doesn’t matter how young you are, there’s a role for you in farming. Anyone can do it,” he said on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rishi Sunak (@rishisunakmp)

Cooper said he is “honoured to be speaking on behalf of young farmers everywhere”.

Farm to Fork Summit

Today’s summit saw representation from 70 businesses, experts and representative organisations from farming, production, manufacturing, wholesale, retail and hospitality.

In his opening remarks to the summit, the Prime Minister paid reference to the troubles showcased as part of the Clarkson’s Farm series.

Touching on the topic of planning permission, he said:

“We want to give British farmers greater freedoms to make the best use of their existing buildings, whether that’s for a Diddly Squat-style farm shop or a processing facility.

“So we’re going to consult on targeted changes to the planning system that enable exactly that and support our rural economy.”

Diddly Squat is the name of TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson’s on-farm farm shop, which fans of the show would be familiar with.

Throughout season two of the programme, Clarkson showcased parts of his planning permission battle with the local council as he wanted to take the shop one step further and turn it into a restaurant.

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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has emphasised the importance of international trade in an open letter to British farmers today (Tuesday, May 16).

He said it is “critical” to food security and stopping a repeat of food shortages experienced earlier this year, and to growing the Britain’s economy.

“When you consider the scale of the opportunities within our grasp as we forge new trade deals around the world, British farming and British produce simply cannot be an afterthought,” he said.

In that vein he announced six principles to ensure British farming is at the heart of British trade.

These are:

1. Putting agriculture up front. Farmers’ interest will be put at the heart of trade policy;
2. Protecting sensitive sectors. This will include in Free Trade Agreements, and where appropriate, through permanent quotas;
3. Prioritising new export opportunities;
4. Protecting UK food standards. This applies under all existing and future Free Trade agreements, Sunak said;
5. Upholding UK production standards;
6. Removing market access barriers. Government will work to remove barriers outside of Free Trade Agreements – building on recent successes such as the lifting of the long-standing US ban on British lamb.

Sunak also announced that the government will invest an additional £2 million in Britain’s presence at major trade shows, assisted by five additional agri-food and drink attaches, and create a £1 million programme to support the dairy sector in specific to export.

“By backing British farming in this way, we can enable the whole world to feast on the very best of British, while creating new jobs, growing our economy, and delivering the food security we need,” he said.

Open letter to farmers

The Prime Minister penned the letter ahead of the first ever Farm to Fork Summit in Downing Street which will take place today

The event will look at how government and industry can work together to increase investment, innovation and sustainability, and support the long-term resilience at every stage of the food system. It will feature discussions on a set of key themes alongside a showcase of great British food and drink businesses and innovators.

Attendees will include senior representatives in the UK’s farming, horticulture and agri-food sectors.

Ahead of the summit, the government also announced that 45,000 visas will be available again to the horticulture sector next year, enabling growers to plan ahead for the picking season.

It also confirmed that it will replace the retained EU Fruit and Vegetable Producer Organisation Scheme when it closes in 2026 with an expanded offer as part of its new farming payment schemes, and will conduct additional reviews into fairness in the horticulture and egg supply chains.

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The Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) has said that tomorrow’s (Tuesday, May 16) Farm to Fork Summit in 10 Downing Street must be “more than just a tick the box exercise”.

The event, to be held by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, will look at the importance of food production and the role it plays in the feeding of the nation and in international trade.

However, the TFA has said that the event must go even deeper than this, with its national chair Mark Coulman claiming that the UK is already addressing these issues “very late in the day”.

“Issues around climate change, the war in Ukraine, the [Covid-19] pandemic, and global inflationary pressures generally, have rightly heightened the sensitivity to issues around food security. However, we are coming to these issues very late in the day,” he said.

According to Coulman, the TFA has been arguing for years that the government should be paying more attention to issues around food security.

“To date, regardless of political persuasion, governments down the years have lacked the necessary foresight to properly address the issue,” he said.

“We have had a myriad of reports over the past 25 years focusing on the need for the government to give a higher priority to food security issues and yet, little if anything has been achieved.

“This urgently needs to change, and it is therefore vital that this summit is more than just a tick-box exercise”.

Farming and the supply chain

Coulman said the summit especially needs to highlight and recognise the role that the farming community plays in “delivering our food security and for the ongoing environmental management of the 70% of the UK landmass under its care”.

“However, with the phasing out of the Basic Payment Scheme and the, to date, piecemeal development of new public payments for public goods schemes, we are in danger of placing both our food and environmental security at risk,” he said.

“The UK and Devolved Administrations must ensure that new schemes are properly thought through, developed and implemented to secure the resilience of the food security and environmental benefits being delivered.”

The TFA has released ten “key points” that, it said, the government must take forward after the Farm to Fork Summit. These are:

• Identify that market failure exists in the structure of supply chains;
• Confirm and enhance the role of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) in tackling the market failure in food supply chains;
• Use newly found trade freedoms to enhance the UK’s ability to export the outputs of its food and farming industry;
• Ensure that the UK does not undermine its domestic food safety, environmental and animal welfare standards in allowing imports into the UK which fall below those standards;
• Provide the necessary support to secure the labour requirements of the food and farming sector through a more targeted approach on visa provision focusing on needs rather than a “narrow definition of skills”;
• Implement the 74 recommendations of the Rock Review from the Tenancy Working Group to ensure that the tenanted sector of agriculture can play its full part in delivering the food and environmental security of the nation;
• Fully implement all the planned elements of the new Environmental Land Management schemes without delay and ensuring fair access for all active farmers including tenants and commoners;
• Safeguard the loss of land from agriculture to schemes targeting rewilding, woodland planting, renewable energy and other developments which detracts from delivering food security with uncertain benefits for the environment;
• Make it a legal requirement for public sector food procurement to take a “Britain first” approach;
• Provide plan led productivity support for farms to improve innovation and fixed equipment.

“This is a complex area for which there is no single, silver bullet. We have wasted too much time already,” Coulman said.

“We must now give adequate focus to all that needs to be done to ensure that we deliver the food security we need for our nation now and into the future.”

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The Countryside Alliance is urging farmers to lobby their MPs, demanding that the government protect rural businesses targeted by what it has called “malicious communications and fake reviews”.

The call comes as the Online Safety Bill is currently making its way through the House of Lords.

The proposed bill includes a section on ‘false communications’, which makes it an offence to post false messages intending to cause non-trivial psychological or physical harm – but the Countryside Alliance wants this stretched to cover financial and reputational damage.

The organisation has said that in recent years, rural businesses have been targeted by “activist extremists” who, when they don’t agree with a business’ pursuits, post “fake reviews” online that can be “devastating to the reputation of a business as well as to the mental health of the people who run it”.

It said that in 2018, Suffolk farmer Jonny Crickmore had to block “hundreds of vegans” who left abusive messages and reviews, including death threats directed at the family owned farm. 

“These fake reviews can be devastating to the reputation of a business as well as to the mental health of the people who run it,” it said.

“Although any business can be affected, rural businesses have been targeted for particularly virulent attacks and we want to stop them being targeted in this way.”

Polly Portwin, a spokeswoman for the Countryside Alliance said: “In order to get the government to accept the Countryside Alliance amendments it is very important that ministers understand the justified concerns so many farmers have about such ideologically motivated campaigns against businesses and accepts the amendments.

To assist farmers in lobbying MPs the Countryside Alliance has launched an online e-lobby tool to make it easier for farmers to do so.

“We’ve made this easy with our online e-lobby tool, it takes seconds to make your views known,” Portwin added.

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Entries and nominations are now open for the 2023 British Farming Awards, which aim to highlight the work carried out by UK farmers.

Sponsored by Morrisons, the annual event will return on October 19, 2023, with the closing date for entries being June 23.

Alongside farming sectors like dairy, beef, sheep, arable and contracting, the awards also aim to recognise other groups like family farms, students, new entrants, agri-tech and farm diversifications.

Award organisers also welcome nominations of businesses which have introduced positive changes whether through embracing technology, streamlining productions and efficiency, educating the public about food provenance or revamping their business models through diversification.

Morrisons head of agriculture, fisheries and sustainable sourcing, Sophie Throup, said: “As long-term supporters of British farming, we want to thank farmers across the country for the work they continue to do in these challenging times.

“We want to support the recognition of the effort, care, innovation and skills British farmers put into making and providing food we are all proud of.”

The 2023 British Farming Awards categories are:

• Agricultural Student of the Year;
• Agri-Tech Innovator of the Year;
• Arable Farmer of the Year;
• Beef Farmer of the Year (sponsored by ABP);
• Contractor of the Year (sponsored by Kuhn);
• Dairy Farmer of the Year (sponsored by KW Alternative Feeds);
• Digital Innovator of the Year;
• Diversification of the Year (sponsored by NFU Mutual);
• Family Farming Business of the Year (sponsored by Goodyear);
• Farm Worker of the Year (sponsored by Isuzu);
• Farmers Guardian Farming Hero (sponsored by Eternit);
• Grassland Farmer of the Year (sponsored by Germinal);
• New Entrant Award: Against the Odds (sponsored by Massey Ferguson);
• Outstanding Contribution to British Agriculture (sponsored by NSF);
• Sheep Farmer of the Year (sponsored by SAI Global);
• Sustainable Farmer of the Year (sponsored by Lloyds).

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An additional £200 million has been allocated to the UK’s pothole repair budget, bringing the total funds available to local authorities for road maintenance to £500 million for the financial year 2023/24.

This increase is expected to fix the equivalent of up to four million additional potholes across the country.

However, the funds can also be used for general road improvement, including resurfacing and repairs and renewals, such as keeping bridges and major structures open.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt announced the additional funding in his spring budget, which was delivered to the House of Commons today (Wednesday, March 15).

“Following a wet and then cold winter, I….received particularly strong representations from my hon friends from North Devon, South-West Devon and Newton Abbot as well as councillor Peter Martin from my own constituency about the curse of potholes,” he said in his speech.

“The Spending Review allocated £500m every year to the Potholes Fund, but today I have decided to increase that fund by a further £200m next year to help local communities tackle this problem.”

Spring budget

Delivering today’s budget, Hunt announced that, based on Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts, the UK will now not enter a “technical recession” this year, and that inflation is set to halve.

“Despite continuing global instability, the OBR report today that inflation in the UK will fall from 10.7% in the final quarter of last year to 2.9% by the end of 2023,” he said.

“That is more than halving inflation.”

However, until then, he is taking measures based on where the UK is at today, for example with regards to fuel duty.

“Because inflation remains high, I have decided now is not the right time to uprate fuel duty with inflation or increase the duty,” he said.

“So here’s what I am going to do: for a further 12 months I’m going to maintain the 5p cut … and I’m going to freeze fuel duty too.”

To read more highlights from today’s budget, click here.

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The value of lamb and beef exports from Wales hit the £250 million mark in 2022, according to analysis of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) trade data by Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC).

Welsh lamb exports were worth £171.5 million in 2022, with exports to the largest European partners – France, Germany and Belgium – all up on 2021 figures, with the French market worth an estimated £77 million to Welsh sheep farmers.

Beef exports from Wales jumped by nearly 50% last year – from £50.9 million in 2021 to £75.6 million.

Head of supply chain delivery at HCC, Jon Parker, said the export figures were “really encouraging” and the HCC was glad to see growth in priority markets for Welsh red meat.

“We’re leading the way as global trade returns to a more normal pattern after the Covid-19 disruption,” he said.

Parker said hard work was done by the industry to ensure that emerging markets in the Middle East bounced back after the pandemic.

This was achieved, he said, as trade increased in the foodservice and hospitality sector, with notable export increases to Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“We’re determined to resume the levels of growth that we had been seeing in exports to the Middle East region before Covid-19, so the recovery into the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait is very promising,” Parker said.

“It will all help at a time when domestic demand in the UK is less buoyant than it was.

“With sales in the home market having fallen back from the peaks seen during the Covid-19 years of 2020 and 2021, and British consumers feeling the cost-of-living pinch, industry experts are united in projecting that overseas sales are more important than ever to securing good returns for farmers and processors.”

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The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced new additional funding of £4.4 million for England’s national parks.

The funds will be provided to the country’s ten National Park Authorities to support services like visitor centres and park rangers.

Each authority will be awarded an equal share of the grant, which aims to highlight the role that national parks play in protecting wildlife and landscapes, as well as their role in tourism and the regional economy.

Speaking on the additional funding, Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said England’s national parks are the “jewel in our cherished landscapes”.

“They support thriving communities, economies, wildlife and are important places for public health and well-being,” she said.

“This additional £4.4 million of funding will support the important work that National Park Authorities do across our countryside, and allow local people and visitors to enjoy these much loved spaces.”

The 10 National Park Authorities that will benefit from an equal share of the £4.4 million in funding are:

• Broads;
• Dartmoor;
• Exmoor;
• Lake District;
• New Forest;
• North Yorkshire Moors;
• Northumberland;
• Peak District;
• South Downs;
• Yorkshire Dales.

“The funding will help protect vital assets, such as education centres and ranger services, and will provide more opportunities for people to enjoy national parks,” Coffey said.

“It could also be used to support the creation of new trails, residential programmes and mobility schemes.

“It will also support access and engagement programmes helping to conserve the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of these protected landscapes.”

Defra also announced that the Farming in Protected Landscapes scheme, currently delivered across ten national parks and 34 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) since 2021, will be extended until March 2025.

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The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has today (Wednesday, March 1) launched a growth strategy for the UK’s horticulture sector which it is calling for the government to support to minimise “future supply chain disruption”.

The strategy sets out ten policies which underpin the success of the sector, enable long-term growth and ensure the fresh supply of produce on supermarket shelves, the union said.

The policies focus on ten “key” building blocks:

• Access to labour;
• Access to affordable and sustainable energy supplies;
• Access to crop protection;
• Access to water;
• Productivity investment;
• Fairness in the supply chain;
• Access to environmental funding schemes;
• Access to sustainable growing media;
• An enabling planning policy;
• Enabling import controls for plants and plant products.

Speaking on the launch of the growth strategy, NFU president Minette Batters said the horticulture sector is “ambitious” and needs the “full support of the government” to produce more.

“That’s why today we are setting out the key priorities needed to stabilise the challenges facing the sector in the short term and help to deliver long-term growth and a thriving, world-class horticulture sector in the future,” she said.

“The consequences of undervaluing growers can be seen on supermarket shelves right now. Shelves are empty. This is a reality we’ve been warning government about for many months.

“Without urgent action there are real risks that empty shelves may become more commonplace as British horticulture businesses struggle with unprecedented inflationary pressures, most notably on energy and labour costs.”

Batters said the horticulture sector is capable of delivering more nutritious food, and growers are well placed to contribute to energy security for the nation and help reach the 2040 net zero target.

“To meet this ambition, government must deliver on the levers for growth in the sector it highlighted in its Food Strategy last summer,” she said.

NFU horticulture and potatoes board chair, Martin Emmett, said farmers and growers have gone without the government support they need for too long.

“For too long, we’ve only had warm words from government about how important the horticulture sector is but no detail on how it wants to achieve growth,” he said.

“Our strategy sets out the key cornerstones and actions government could take to enable growth for the sector, including incentives to promote investment in water infrastructure, long-term certainty on accessing seasonal labour, greater investment, and supportive national and local planning policy.  

“The time to act is now. We need a government that champions UK horticulture and recognises the benefits that home grown fruit, veg, plants and flowers deliver for the economy, health and our environment, and with a plan to demonstrate a tangible commitment to growers.”

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Farming organisations have largely welcomed the Windsor Framework, the replacement of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was announced yesterday (Monday, February 27).

However, many have raised issues and concerns surrounding the specifications and finer details of what the deal means for the movement of livestock and veterinary medicines, as well as the broader agricultural sector.

President of the Ulster Farmers’ Union, David Brown, said the union and its members “commend the substantial efforts” of the UK and the EU in reaching a solution on the issue, but that more clarity is needed from an agricultural perspective.

“Issues such as livestock movements, veterinary medicines, plant protection products and grain for livestock feed still require a technical solution,” he said.

“Through improved engagement and constructive discussions, we want to see solutions found that deliver for those impacted by these challenges.”

President of the National Farmers’ Union of Scotland (NFUS), Martin Kennedy, echoed these concerns, saying the union was enquiring as to whether the movement of livestock is covered by the ‘green lane’ plan.

President of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), Malcolm Morley, said there was “still more to do” to ensure the long-term access to vet medicines for Northern Ireland.

This concern was also raised by the National Office for Animal Health (NOAH), who said the specific issue of continued access to veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland remains, as “no change has been made” in relation to them.

Dawn Howard, chief executive of NOAH, said: “With animal disease knowing no borders, a collective approach to One Health and innovation, such as reopening Horizon funding access to UK projects and expertise, will benefit us all.

“And ensuring Northern Irish animals continue to be able to access the full range of veterinary medicines to prevent and treat disease is an important piece in protecting the health of the animals and people across the UK and Ireland, and throughout Europe and the world.”

GB trade difficulties

The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) welcomed the deal, but highlighted the need for a similar agreement with the EU that would benefit the businesses in the rest of Great Britain – including farmers.

President of the union Glyn Roberts said the Windsor Framework is a positive outcome from the talks, but that more needs to be done to improve trade efficiency between Great Britain and the EU.

“The paperwork that existed for trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been removed by the Windsor Framework but the very same paperwork continues to add costs and complexity to our trade with the EU,” he said.

“So, whilst we are fully supportive of the Windsor Framework, we need the same pragmatic approach to the rest of our trade with the EU.

“This agreement provides a solid foundation for further talks to this end.”

All unions said they would continue to study the complexities of the deal’s text to ensure it delivers on its aims.

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The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of the Kingdom of Thailand (MOAC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for agricultural cooperation.

The MoU aims to build on the existing relationship between the countries, and sets out mutual goals and activities to strengthen their trade relationship in relation to agri-food.

Specifically, it agrees continued strengthening of future cooperation at strategic and working level focusing on promoting and encouraging cooperation in the fields of agriculture; horticulture; animal husbandry; fisheries; aquaculture; food processing; agricultural policy; and the reciprocal advantages.

The signing ceremony of the MoU took place on February 7, at Defra’s London-based office, with director general for strategy of Defra, Lucy Smith, representing the department, and permanent secretary Prayoon Inskul representing the MOAC.

Inskul was the signatory of the MoU, along with the permanent secretary of Defra – Tamara Finkelstein.

Both the UK and Thailand will benefit from exchange of visits, information technology and training, and will facilitate cooperation on matters of mutual interest and concern.

They will also discuss priority issues, encourage technical cooperation and promote agricultural trade and the reduction of non-tariff barriers, Defra said.

Discussions between Defra and MOAC were centered around:

• The significance of the inaugural UK-Thailand Agriculture Dialogue, which sets out the three pillars of cooperation;
• Market Access Interests, focusing on the value of UK-Thailand trade in agricultural goods and the importance of our agri-trade relationship and highlight our interest in strengthening our agri-food trade;
• Areas of interest for future cooperation, exploring further areas of interest for future collaboration. 

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The resignation of Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon comes during a volatile time for farmers, the National Sheep Association (NSA) has said.

The organisation cited increased input costs, changes to farming policy and the anticipated roll out of future farming schemes as reasons for this.

As a result of this volatility, following Sturgeon’s resignation yesterday (Wednesday, February 15), the NSA said it is necessary to have a “united and stable government which isn’t distracted from its task and can embed food and farming policies that span beyond parliamentary terms”.

“NSA Scottish Region is again calling for protection and recognition of the hard-earned standards we are held to and champion them along with ensuring farmers are kept on the land and rewarded for the food they produce,” it added.

“Government must commit to understanding the Scottish industry across its varied departments and realise the value of Scotland as a food-producing nation and its contribution to our environment and unique landscape not to mention the rest of the nations which make up the UK.”

This belief echoes what the Scottish branch of the National Farmers’ Union (NFUS) said in its reaction to the resignation yesterday.

“These are uncertain times and farming, crofting and our food and drink sectors face many challenges if they are to remain essential cornerstones of Scotland’s rural economy and its manufacturing industry,” NFUS president Martin Kennedy said.

“That makes them key areas for any future First Minister to consider and once appointed; we look forward to meeting with them on behalf of farmers and crofters.”

The British Veterinary Association has also said it looks forward to working with Sturgeon’s successor to advance animal health and welfare standards in Scotland and, “more pressingly” it said, the passing of a new Agriculture Act.

Among those tipped to replace Sturgeon is Mairi McAllan, current Minister for Environment and Land Reform in the Scottish Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate.

Sturgeon, Scotland’s longest-serving First Minister, will remain in officer until a successor is in place.

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A taskforce representing 20 farming organisations is urging the Scottish government to engage with the industry to ensure a successful agricultural policy.

The Food and Agriculture Stakeholders Taskforce (FAST) welcomed Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon’s updates during her speech at the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Scotland conference on Friday (February 10), however it said more detail and engagement is needed.

“This is no panacea, but it does give us the best insight into Scottish Government’s future plans for farming to date,” Teresa Dougall, FAST rotating chair and managing director at Scottish Quality Crops (SQC) said.

“However, we’d once again urge the government to better engage with the industry to get it right.

“Poor or ill-informed decisions on future financial and policy support could destabilise and damage primary production businesses, negatively impacting the wider supply chain at the same time. 

“We are calling again for greater co-design with industry, which the government has said it wants, and better communication on the details so businesses can plan ahead.”

The group has invited ministers and civil servants for dicussions; Gougeon is set to meet with the taskforce in March.

FAST was formed in autumn 2022 in response to what it says has been “lack of clear communication and engagement” from the Scottish government and the sector regarding policy developments.

It comprises:

• Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC);
• Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland (IAAS);
• National Beef Association (NBA);
• National Sheep Association Scotland (NSA Scotland);
• NFU Scotland (NFUS);

• Quality Meat Scotland (QMS);
• Ringlink (Scotland);
• Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS);
• Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI);
• Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society Ltd (SAOS);
• Scottish Agritourism;

• Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers (SAMW);
• Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC);
• Scottish Beef Association (SBA);
• Scottish Craft Butchers;
• Scottish Crofting Federation (SCF);
• Scottish Land & Estates (SLE);
• Scottish Pig Producers (SPP);
• Scottish Quality Crops (SQC);
• Scottish Tenant Farmers Association (STFA).

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In her New Year message, the president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), Minette Batters, said that government investment is needed to “unlock a thriving food and farming sector” in the UK.

In her statement released today (Friday, December 30), Batters highlighted the importance of food security, which the union has been drawing attention to this year.

“Clearly, events over the last year have made the job of producing food throughout the world so much harder. The importance of British farming to deliver food and energy has never been clearer,” Batters said.

“I never take for granted the huge public support farming receives and it is clear the nation continues to value our high food standards, produced to world-leading animal welfare and environmental protection, as well as our ability to produce renewable energy and contribute to the nation’s energy security.”

Batters referenced her recent meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak regarding food security and the importance of home-grown food production.

“I was very pleased to be able to end the year with a meeting with the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, where I pressed, again, the importance of food security and home-grown food production,” she said.

“In the summer he made a commitment to monitor food self-sufficiency and I am reassured that he continues to take this issue very seriously.

“It was clear from my meeting with the Prime Minister that he has the same ambition as us for British food and farming.

“If we are to continue delivering for the nation, we need to see him honour his pledge made at the NFU Hustings event in August – to support British farming by setting a target for the nation’s food security, with a statutory duty to report on domestic food levels.”

Earlier this month, Batters said she feared that the UK was “sleepwalking into further food supply crises” and called for the government to act soon as “tomorrow could well be too late”.

Net zero

Batters said the goal of achieving net zero by 2040 is possible, but that the commitment to this must be proved in 2023.

“Looking to the year ahead, we have the opportunity to build on these successes and deliver more for the country,” she said.

“We have the ambition and drive to produce more renewable energy, enhance our environment, care for our countryside and work towards our commitment to reach net zero by 2040, all while producing sustainable food.

“To do this we need to ensure that we build profitability and resilience into our farm businesses to allow us to safeguard the nation’s food and energy security,” she added.

“We need clarity on policies like the Environmental Land Management schemes, which will ensure we are able to plan financial resilience into our businesses and continue to produce climate-friendly food alongside green energy.”

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The National Farmers’ Union of Scotland (NFUS) has said its recruitment process to appoint a new chief executive is underway.

In the interim, the union said that its board of directors appointed NFUS director of policy, Jonnie Hall, as general manager until a new chief executive is appointed.

The position of company secretary at NFUS will be undertaken by treasurer, Rupert Shaw, and national operations manager James Buchanan will continue to grow the role and work with the group secretary network, NFUS said.

The union said that Carlyle Associates have been formally appointed to search for the next chief executive.

The search for a new candidate for the position follows the resignation of Scott Walker in early November who had worked for the organisation for 28 years and was the chief executive for the past 11 years.

President of the NFUS, Martin Kennedy, said: “I must thank all members, staff and secretaries for their continued feedback and patience during this period and I look forward to working with Carlyle Associates in engaging and recruiting our next CEO.

“The next few years will undoubtedly continue to bring challenges to our industry, and as the leading lobbying organisation for agriculture in Scotland, our job is to turn these challenges into opportunities whereby agriculture is properly recognised for all that it delivers.

“Whoever is appointed as our new chief executive will have a fantastic opportunity to play a key role in not only driving that message home but also to work with a great team of people to grow the business of NFU Scotland.”

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Ahead of the New Year on Sunday, January 1, 2023, farming unions from across the UK have called for change. From the implementing of schemes to enhancing food security, the unions have outlined what they want to see from the next 12 months.

The vice-president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), David Exwood, said the Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes have reached a critical point of delivery and 2023, specifically the month of January, will be crucial for the future of the schemes.

“It has been a frustrating time trying to get certainty from Defra [Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] on the scope of the offer and the all-important financial elements in place,” Exwood said.

“It seems that the log jam of political decision-making is finally being lifted and all eyes now are on what seems to be a series of announcements in January.

“We really hope for ELM schemes that we see as much detail as possible in the coming weeks and that 2023 is truly the year of delivering the policies.

“We will hold Defra to account on ensuring that the schemes remain simple to operate on farm.

“It was encouraging to hear that Defra [has] a plan and much is promised in the new year. Communication of the detail to members is so critical, this has to be done by mail shotting every farmer in the country.”

Basic Payment Scheme

Exwood said a “critical concern” of his is the transition from the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) to the new de-linked payment, with 2023 being the last year BPS will operate.

“Defra must help to avoid cliff edges in support that some could face, which I believe was never the vision when it came to the seven-year transition away from direct payments,” he said.

“The rolling out of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway annual vet visits is mooted to be from January 2023. Like SFI [Sustainable Farming Incentive], it is being rolled out in a managed way.

“I would encourage all livestock farmers to have a look at this development as well as the grants that are also in the pipeline.”

President of the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW), Glyn Roberts, said he was grateful for the Welsh government’s commitment to “moving away from the English policies it had originally parroted, slowing down and placing family farms, rural economics and culture and food production on the agenda”.

“As we look over the border to England – where basic payments were slashed by more than 20% in 2022 but no coherent replacement scheme is in sight, and English NFU officials have warned of severe impacts for English farmers and food production – we can be thankful that the Welsh Government has listened to the FUW’s vociferous and robust lobbying,” he said.

Food security

Roberts said that the New Year provides governments with the chance to prioritise the right things, especially issues relating to food security and supply.

“In 2023 our politicians have the opportunity to reverse the trend of belittling the importance of UK food security and undermining the family farms that are the backbone of domestic food production,” he said.

“They now know that even a relatively mild pandemic can rapidly threaten local and global supply chains for key products, and that sudden extreme local events, such as attacks on major food-producing counties, can lead to global shortages of essential commodities that directly or indirectly feed our population and keep the heat and lights on.

“Whatever form new schemes in Wales (or for that matter, the rest of the UK) take, critical to the delivery of scheme objectives and the sustenance of family farms and food production, will be the budget made available by the UK and Welsh governments.”

Chair of Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), Catherine Smith, shared the concerns of Roberts, adding that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine played a major role in the further de-stabilising of food security in the UK.

“As well as the profound human cost, a war on the European continent has highlighted the fragility of global food systems; the loss of so much Ukrainian grain and other produce has had a serious impact far beyond its borders,” she said.

“It [has] compelled us as a nation to look with fresh eyes at how we can ensure that consumers here can have a dependable supply of affordable, quality food, and how we need to support our farmers.”

The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) called for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to implement “an agriculture policy which has a resilient food supply chain at its heart” in the New Year.

UFU president, David Brown, said: “The next 12 months could lay the foundations for a thriving food and farming sector where we are competitive both at home and abroad.

“We cannot ignore the challenges of this year, if we do, we will miss the opportunities of the next one.

“The government needs to continue to take action to prevent a situation where British food is replaced by food imports – imports which could fall way below our own highly valued standards of animal health and welfare and environmental protection.”

Bovine tuberculosis

Brown said the biggest threat to the agricultural sector and its ambitions for 2023 is bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and the “stranglehold” that it has on the Northern Ireland herd and farming families.

“I have lost count of the number of farming families I have met who have seen the future of their businesses thrown into turmoil, and in some cases, decimated by this awful disease ravaging through their herd,” he said.

“Words cannot do justice to the impact that the emotional strain caused by bTB has had on these individuals, to see their ambitions thwarted and much-loved animals culled because of the disease.

“It is utterly heart-breaking. The UFU will continue to put pressure on government to act upon the science and to fully implement its bTB strategy.”

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Voters in rural areas are now just as likely to vote for the Labour Party as they are to vote for the Conservative Party, a new survey published today (Friday, December 23) has shown.

The two parties are both seen to be attracting the support of 30% of people in rural areas, according to the survey of over 3,000 people carried out by YouGov on behalf of the Fabian Society.

40% of people surveyed said they would “never consider” voting for the Conservative Party, with only 13% saying they “would definitely consider” voting for them.

This is in contrast to only 8% saying they would “never consider” voting for the party at the general election in 2019.

Senior researcher at the Fabian Society, Ben Cooper, said the survey shows that the Conservative Party has lost rural support.

“The Conservatives are no longer the party of the countryside,” he said.

“Rural voters see the Tories as out of touch with their values and unable to understand their communities. Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak have broken a historic bond between the Tories and rural Britain.”

20% of people said they would “never consider” voting for the Labour Party, with 21% saying they “would definitely consider” voting for them.

In the last general election in 2019, the Labour Party was 33 points behind the Conservative Party outside of urban areas.

“Too often, Labour thinks rural voters are out of reach. But a third of the most marginal seats have a substantial number of rural voters,” Cooper said.

“Labour’s path to power runs through rural Britain, as well as our towns and cities.”

Political values

Of the 3,333 people surveyed, only 25% said that the Conservative Party shares shares some or all of their values, compared to 59% saying it does not share many or any of their values.

The Labour Party seen a boost in support, with 43% of people saying the party shared some or all of their values, compared with 39% saying it did not share many or any of their values. 18% of people were unsure.

In terms of understanding life in rural areas, only 5% of those surveyed believe that the Conservative Party understands people in their area “very well”, with 38% believing that the party does not understand people in their area “at all”.

The Labour Party polled slightly better, with 11% of people saying it understood people in their area “very well”, compared to 19% of people saying it did not understand people in their area well “at all”.

“Labour is well on track to make significant gains in rural Britain, but still has to convince rural voters that they understand the countryside,” Cooper said.

“Labour must set out a vision that all places, including rural communities, can feel a part of. And they must address a specific rural perception of feeling left behind.

“In doing so, the party can secure a broad ‘one-nation’ mandate to govern the country at the next election.”

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Carmarthenshire hill-sheep farmer Ian Rickman has been re-elected as the Farmers’ Union of Wales’ (FUW) deputy president.

He was first elected to the position of FUW deputy president in 2019 and in the past was county chair of the FUW in Carmarthenshire.

He has also previously held the position of chair of the hill and farming marginal land committee.

Speaking on his re-election, Rickman said: “These are turbulent times for the agriculture industry and never has it been more important for the voice of our farming families to be heard at all levels.

“I look forward to continuing my work on behalf of the union and its members and thank our members for re-electing me to the role.”

Rickman and his wife, Helen, have three sons together. The family resides at Gurnos, an upland sheep farm near Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire.

The farm is on a 220ac site with common grazing rights on the Black Mountain. Rickman is also a member of the management committee of the Black Mountain West Graziers Association.

FUW South Wales’ vice-president

Ceredigion sheep farmer and former FUW Ceredigion county chair Anwen Hughes has been elected as the FUW’s South Wales’ vice-president.

The chair of younger voice for farming and for the FUW’s education and training committee, Hughes farms 80ac at Bryngido farm just outside of Aberaeron in Ceredigion with her husband Rhodri.

The family keeps around 200 Lleyn and Lleyn-cross ewes on a low input-high input, grass-based system.

Hughes has been farming since 1995 owns a further 48ac in partnership with her mother Betty Davies, which is rented to her oldest son Glyn.

Speaking on her appointment, Hughes said: “I am delighted to take on the role as FUW vice-president for the south of Wales.

“In my new role I look forward to working with members, union officials as well as our elected representatives in Cardiff and Westminster to ensure we have thriving, sustainable family farms here in Wales for generations to come.”

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45,000 visas for seasonal workers will be available for businesses next year, the government confirmed today (December 16).

The allocation will allow businesses to recruit foreign workers to come to the UK for up to six months through the seasonal worker visa route – an uplift of 15,000 compared to what was available to businesses at the start of 2022.

This number will be kept under review with the potential to increase by a further 10,000 if necessary, and contingent on sponsors and growers improving and abiding by to worker welfare standards, including ensuring workers are guaranteed a minimum number of paid hours each week.

The first 4,000 visas will be made available to operators next week to ensure that daffodil growers have the labour available for their harvest at the start of the year

The changes will provide certainty for farmers in a boost to British food production and help to tackle the labour shortages and rising input costs which have been affecting countries all around the world.

Alongside expanding the number of visas available, the government will be appointing new scheme operators to help with the efficient operation of the visa route and help safeguard worker welfare.

A new team will also focus on ensuring sponsors are abiding by workers’ rights by improving training and processes for compliance inspectors and creating clear policies and guidance for robust action for scheme operators where workers are at risk of exploitation.

Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:

“Seasonal labour has long been part of the UK’s rural economy, and while it is right that we offer long term support to increase the use of domestic labour, we also need to support businesses on the back of what has been a challenging year for food producers.

“That’s why we’ve listened to the UK’s horticulture sector, and today’s announcement will provide our growers with the labour they need to bring in the harvest and continue to put their produce on our tables.”

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Farming and food production must be viewed as critical industries when the UK government announces its review of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, expected before Christmas according to the National Farmers’ Union Scotland (NFUS)

NFUS said that failure to extend the support offered to food and agri-businesses beyond March 31, 2023 will simply condemn consumers to a further escalation in food prices and undermine the nation’s already fragile food security.

The impact of electricity costs and having the energy cost cap for farm and agri-food businesses extended has been a lobbying priority in recent visits by officeholders and staff to Westminster.

Last month, NFUS also submitted a response the UK Government’s consultation on the current Energy Bill Relief Scheme review.

President Martin Kennedy explained:

“NFUS has called on the UK government to commit to provide an extended energy cost cap for farm and agri-food businesses.

“As we demonstrated throughout the pandemic, agriculture, and the commitment to keep food and drink on the table, is clearly a key part of the critical national infrastructure.

“It is vitally important for the farming sector and for consumers that a price cap on electricity is retained for the agricultural sector.

“Providing that support to our sector will not only keep the nation fed but help to dampen down further food price inflation and be of genuine benefit to our hard-pressed consumers.”

Kennedy added that without a cap on electricity prices, it would compound the unprecedented increases in other inputs such as fertiliser, fuel and animal feed that are threatening to make production unviable.

“A membership survey, conducted in the autumn, highlighted what a burden un-capped electricity prices would be.

“The cost increase faced by many sectors, including the use of cold stores for our potatoes, fruit and veg, was a main focal point within our submission on the energy bill.

“It included an example of one vegetable grower reporting a rise from 12p per unit to 71p per unit, predicting that their electricity bill would jump from around £140,000 to over £800,000.

“We anticipate that there will be a response to the energy bill scheme review before Christmas and this will be communicated to members as soon as we get sight of it.

“Until then, we will continue to press governments at both Westminster and Holyrood on the absolute need for food and agri-businesses to be part of an extended cap on electricity prices.”

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N2 Applied, the European agricultural technology business, has welcomed UK government guidance on a new slurry infrastructure grant scheme that means farmers can use new technology to acidify animal waste rather than have to fit costly new covers and associated equipment to storage facilities.

New guidance from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) covers grants for slurry infrastructure on English farms.

Defra has now specified that farmers using acidification, by means of acid or plasma treatment, to lower and maintain slurry below a pH of six do not need to bear the expense of fitting covers or apply for grants, as ammonia emissions will be sufficiently reduced.

This makes acidification a viable alternative to covers.

N2 Applied’s N2 Unit uses a scientific technique that applies just air and electricity to slurry, performing a plasma conversion that ‘locks in’ both methane and ammonia to the treated acidified material and increases nitrogen levels to make it as effective for crop production as chemical fertilisers.

“Defra’s clarity on acidification helps farmers to reduce the overall cost of treating slurry to safeguard the environment and counter soaring fertiliser costs,” Russell Jones, UK director, N2 Applied said.

“It strengthens the pathway to more sustainable food production that acid and plasma treatments like ours enable, because the capital and operating costs of the equipment are partly offset by not having to fit covers and being able to produce their own sustainable form of fertiliser.

“We look forward to further information from Defra in due course about how grant funding can potentially support the capital purchase of equipment like this to encourage take-up at scale, particularly on farms already generating renewable electricity,” he said.

The Defra scheme aims to drive investment in covers on above-ground, pre-cast concrete and earth bank storage facilities to improve the use of organic nutrients on-farm and reduce water pollution from farmers that have insufficient storage capacity.

It has been designed to enable farmers to increase stored volume from a minimum of four months required by the SSAFO (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil) to six.

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The retail sale of peat in horticulture will end in Wales, Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths has announced.

The announcement follows a public consultation which shows 92% of Welsh respondents supported an overall ban of the sale of peat compost.

Whilst there is no current peat extraction in Wales, the government said that today’s action will be crucial in protecting Welsh peatlands in the future.

Preventing sales of peat containing products is also in line with the Well-being of Future Generations Act commitment to be globally responsible.

Peatlands are the UK’s largest stores of carbon, support key habitats and species, and can hold large volumes of water.

When peat is extracted, the carbon stored inside the bog is released as carbon dioxide, contributing to climate change.

It is primarily extracted in the UK for horticultural purposes, with bagged retail growing media accounting for 70% of the peat sold in the UK.

The Welsh government will now work with the UK government on next steps to implement the ban in Wales.

Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths said: “Our peatlands are iconic, and today’s announcement will be key in protecting and restoring them for future generations and supporting the work of the National Peatland Action Programme.

“Carbon dioxide emissions from peat extractions has an impact on climate change and introducing a ban on the retail sale of peat in horticulture will make a real difference.

“The consultation showed strong support for banning peat sales in Wales and we will now work to implement a ban as soon as is practically possible.”

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Brexit added an average of £210 to household food bills over two years to the end of 2021, costing consumers a total of £5.8 billion, a new report has found.

Furthermore, according to the report, food prices have increased by 6%, and lower-income household have been most affected by this increased cost the most.

Households in the lowest decile experienced an increase in the cost of living 52% higher than households in the top decile.

The report, which was published today (Thursday, December 1), presents research by the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) at the London School of Economics into the affect of non-tariff barriers (NTBs) on consumer prices and welfare.

NTBs, which the authors – Jan David Bakker, Nikhil Datta, Richard Davies and Josh De Lyon – of Non-tariff barriers and consumer prices: Evidence from Brexit have called the “main policy barrier to trade” have risen due to EU-UK trade now being subject to customs and a regulatory border.

They found that this rise in NTBs affected price, but that the rise in prices was primarily driven by products with high NTBs; there was so significant rise in prices for products with low NTBs.

Richard Davies, an associate of CEP’s growth programme and a professor at Bristol University and study co-author, said: “The UK inflation rate rose above 11% in 2022, the highest rate in 40 years.

“Many factors, affecting both supply and demand for goods and services, are involved. One factor in this high inflation has been the rise in non-tariff barriers for trade with the EU.

“In leaving the EU, the UK swapped a deep trade relationship with few impediments to trade for one where a wide range of checks, forms and steps are required before goods can cross the border.

“Firms faced higher costs and passed most of these onto consumers. Over the two years to the end of 2021, Brexit increased food prices by around 6% overall.”

The changes have benefitted domestic producers of food, who now have less competition from European imports, the authors added.

However, these gains to domestic firms are outstripped by the loss to domestic consumers by more than £1 billion; and, unlike regular tariffs, NTBs do not generate any revenue for the government either.

The report concluded that NTBs are an important impediment to trade and should be a “first-order concern, at least on par with tariffs”, for policy makers “interested in low consumer prices”.

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A former British Veterinary Association (BVA) president has been appointed as an independent director to the Assured Food Standards (AFS) board of Red Tractor.

James Russell formally takes up this new position at the end of November, when fellow senior vet Dr. Melissa Donald, and president of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, second term ends.

Russell is a recognised leader of the veterinary profession, having held several roles within the BVA and serving on the Animal Health and Welfare board for England and appointed as an assistant clinical professor for the University of Nottingham.

Red Tractor CEO Jim Moseley said: “James brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience.

“He will be a considerable asset for Red Tractor, as we continue to protect the integrity of the food chain and navigate the significant challenges that our industry faces with international trade agreements and increased public scrutiny on animal welfare issues.”

Moseley added: “I would like to thank Melissa for her leadership and support throughout her time with Red Tractor and wish her the best of luck with her future endeavours.”

James Russell said:

“I am delighted to join the AFS board, I have had an interest in Farm assurance since I was a veterinary student.

“I relish the opportunity of being part of the evolution of the Red Tractor brand. I am looking forward to building on its brilliant work on animal welfare and ensuring that Red Tractor continues to drive up industry best practice.”

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A group of around 20 scientists have began a protest ahead of COP15 outside the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) offices in Marsham Street, London.

The protestors are taking action as they believe the government has failed to take the required steps to protect nature.

The scientists who took part in the action included leading experts in ecology and conservation science who have previously worked for or advised Defra. 

COP15, the UN Biodiversity conference, takes place in Montréal in December and will set the global biodiversity targets, and the direction for UK nature recovery, to 2030 and beyond.

One of the protestors, Prof. Jeff Waage OBE, an ecologist and former member of Defra’s Science Advisory Committee, said:

“Ours is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. The Government has made commitments to address this dire situation, based on excellent scientific advice, but it is failing profoundly to deliver on these.

“Further, it is misleading the public, claiming for instance that it is close to its target of protecting 30% of England for nature by 2030, when the true level is currently about 5%.

“Adding to this its recent failure to meet legal deadlines to set targets for clean water and nature recovery, it is clear to me that this government is not taking its commitments seriously.

“Critical nature recovery in the UK is being actively delayed, avoided and undermined.

“Habitat- and species-loss looms large, and nature-loving citizens need to hear the truth. That is why I am here today.”

COP15 protest

Dr. Laura Thomas-Walters, a conservation social scientist, said: “I left my job as a senior analyst at Defra this year because I felt I had no opportunity to make real change.

“I worked with wonderful colleagues, smart scientists, but we were stymied by a lack of ministerial support.

“Civil servants are there to serve at the discretion of their ministers, and without buy-in from the government we couldn’t work on vital issues.

“Biodiversity loss is just as big a threat as climate breakdown – we are racing at breakneck speed into an environmental catastrophe, and the ministers are the ones cutting the brakes.

“I left government so I could speak up, to finally demand the change we need.“

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The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) mean and median gender pay gaps have decreased since last year, with an overall 5.9% and 5.5% reduction respectively since 2017.

There has been a reduction of 1.1% in the mean pay gap and a 0.2% reduction in the median pay gap in the last 12 months

The gender pay gap is the difference between the hourly rate of male full-pay relevant employees and that of female full-pay relevant employees.

On the subject of bonuses, Defra’s performance awards are paid as a set value depending on grade and performance level, irrespective of gender.

In comparison to the previous year, broadly the same proportions of men and women have received bonuses with 70.8% of bonuses paid to men and 70.3% of bonuses paid to women.

The percentage of female staff employed by Defra at 56%, has remained stable when compared to previous years.

Defra group gender champion and director general of environment, rural and marine, David Hill, said:

“Although our pay gaps show that men continue to be paid more than women, our pay gaps have considerably narrowed.

“Our cross-Defra group gender board works collaboratively across Defra organisations to address gender equality.

“We have continued work to ensure women feel safe inside the workplace and when they travel for work, in addition to raising awareness of issues around women’s health.

“Removing barriers to discussing important issues means they are better understood by all and can positively impact the everyday lived experiences of women in Defra.

“Our commitment to close the gender pay gap speaks to a broader agenda of inclusion and we look forward to further progressing this goal as part of an ambitious strategy to achieve equality in the workplace.”

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Farmers in England will soon be able to apply for grants of up to £250,000 to improve their slurry storage, helping them to prevent water and air pollution and make the best of their organic nutrients. 

Accodring to the government, around half of slurry stores in England are not fit-for-purpose.

This means many farms can end up failing to comply with their legal obligations for storage and spreading of slurry. 

The first round of the Slurry Infrastructure grant, which will be administered by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) and opens for applications on Tuesday December 6, will make £13 million available for livestock farmers to build six months of slurry storage capacity.

Farmers are able to apply for grants of £25,000 to £250,000 towards the cost of slurry stores, covers and supporting equipment.

Grants can be used to build, replace or expand storage. They can also contribute towards a range of solutions like lagoons, steel and concrete ring tanks and large slurry bags. 

 Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:   
   
“We know livestock farmers want to invest in slurry systems that support quality food production and protect the environment, but many are put off by high infrastructure costs and difficulty accessing finance.   

“The Slurry Infrastructure grant will tackle this, helping farmers to invest in future-proof slurry storage that supports thriving farms while cutting pollution and allowing nature to prosper.”

Spencer added that enlarging and covering slurry stores will help reduce the 60% of nitrate pollution, 25% of phosphate pollution and 87% of ammonia emissions that come from agriculture.

“It will also help farmers to cut costs on artificial fertilisers, delivering long-term productivity benefits through improved nutrient management and soil health. ”

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The National Farmers’ Union (NFU), is writing to Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick amid concerns over visas for seasonal workers in the future.

British growers are being urged to add their name to an NFU letter to the Immigration Minister calling for reassurances on the Seasonal Workers Scheme in the future.

The letter, penned by NFU deputy president Tom Bradshaw, asks for urgent clarity on the number of visas amid concerns that current government commitments will fall short of what is needed by the British horticulture sector.

It explains that securing sufficient seasonal labour remains an acute challenge for the sector with NFU data showing that shortages peaked at 40% in the spring and have averaged 15% across the year to date.

NFU deputy president Tom Bradshaw said: “Soaring energy costs combined with a continued lack of people to pick crops are posing a serious threat to the future of the UK’s fruit and vegetable industry.

“The news that the Seasonal Workers Scheme is guaranteed to 2024 was a welcome boost for growers last year.

“However we remain concerned that the number of visas available are not sufficient to prevent further crop losses and a continued fall in UK production.

“While the government’s own food strategy includes an ambition for growth in horticulture, domestic production is currently falling at a worrying rate and is way below its potential.

“We need urgent clarity on the scheme and a much more collaborative relationship between the Home Office and the NFU to find solutions.”

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The UK government is pledging £4 million in funding towards the International Consortium on Combatting Wildlife Crime (ICCWC).

The announcement has been made at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Panama, where the UK government is pushing to secure stronger protections for some of the world’s most threatened species such as pangolins and requiem sharks.

CITES is an international agreement between governments that protects over 38,000 wild plant and animal species from the impacts of international trade.

The new funding will go towards the next phase of ICCWC programming and will help fight wildlife crime by increasing the detection, disruption and detention of criminals.

Transnational criminal networks profit from illegal trade, causing serious security implications for many countries and regions.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:

“We want to keep protecting our most endangered plants and animals. This £4 million of funding going to the ICCWC will help tackle criminals and stop this vile trade.

The UK is showing global leadership on conservation and proposing stronger protections for a range of rare species at this summit such as pangolins and sharks.

“We will also be driving global efforts to secure a post-2020 global biodiversity framework at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal next month.”

CITES secretary-general, Ivonne Higuero, said:

“We’re grateful to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for this important contribution to support the efforts of CITES Parties to combat wildlife crime.

“It is a vote of confidence in the coordinated work being done by ICCWC partners to put an end to this scourge affecting our planet and its people.

“This funding means more parties will be assisted by the consortium to further strengthen their capabilities in the decade to come.”

Poaching and the illegal wildlife trade has been estimated to be worth up to £17 billion a year.

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The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is leaving the UK “vulnerable to a major breakdown” of animal disease prevention measures, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has said.

In a report published today (Wednesday, November 16), the committee said that Defra has allowed the UK’s main animal health facility at Weybridge to “deteriorate to an alarming extent”.

“Animal diseases pose a significant threat to UK health, trade, farming and rural communities,” the committee said.

“We are concerned that the government is not sufficiently prioritising this threat.”

The committee said that the poor management and underinvestment of the Weybridge site will severely impact the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) ability to effectively respond to disease outbreaks.

Weybridge site

According to the PAC, a review of the Weybridge site carried out by the National Audit Office (NAO) found more than 1,000 examples of “single points of failure – where loss of the system or asset will cause major catastrophic disruption to operations”.

Both Defra and the APHA’s corporate risk registers rate the risk of a major breakdown at Weybridge as ‘very high’.

The APHA’s Weybridge site is the UK’s primary science facility for managing threats from animal diseases. It houses 98% of the APHA’s high-containment laboratories.

Furthermore, it is the APHA’s main site for running long-term animal health studies and the only facility equipped to deal with most zoonotic (animal sourced) diseases.

Chief veterinary officer (CVO) Christine Middlemiss said that the site is not only important for responding to animal disease outbreaks, but also for the ongoing surveillance to detect animal diseases.

According to the PAC, the UK currently faces threats form “on-going disease such as Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB), new potential diseases such as African Swine Fever (ASF), and diseases affecting domestic pets including rabies”.

Threat from animal disease

The committee said that animal diseases pose a significant threat to the UK, both from farming and trade perspectives.

“To support UK trade in animals and animal products, it is vital that there is confidence in the UK’s ability to respond to animal disease outbreaks and in its on-going surveillance activities,” the committee said.

“We are concerned that the government’s National Risk Register only ranks the impact of animal diseases as category C, the middle ranking on a five-point scale A to E, despite the scale of potential economic and social impacts of animal diseases so starkly set out during our evidence session.

“The department’s inadequate long-term management of the Weybridge site demonstrates that it has not viewed animal disease as a high enough priority, but we also think the department has not had a strong enough voice in government to stress the seriousness of the threat.”

The committee said that the UK has already suffered from a number of animal disease outbreaks including Spongiform Encephalitis (BSE), Foot and Mouth disease and most recently avian influenza (bird flu).

“The National Audit Office highlighted the devastating effect the 2001 Foot and Mouth disease outbreak had on farmers, the rural economy and parts of the tourist industry,” it said.

“It estimated that the outbreak cost the public sector over £3 billion and the private sector over £5 billion based on prices at the time of the report.

“The chief veterinary officer further highlighted the impact of the outbreak, with millions of animals culled, mental health implications for farmers and memories of those events still strong in local communities today.

“The CVO set out the continued threat to the UK from animal diseases. For example, Bovine Tuberculosis is the largest endemic animal disease in the UK and has a huge impact on the farming industry, as well as on UK trade.”

Department response

The department has said that it recognises its failure to manage the Weybridge site properly, given its importance as a national asset.

It said that it had approached the management of the site as if it was just a property asset and had not recognised the wider importance of the science capability and the elements that are required to support that.

The department also said that there had been a lack of investment during the 2000s.

Its current redevelopment programme for the Weybridge site is currently estimated to cost £2.8 billion over 15 years, though this fund has not be agreed upon in full.

Commenting, Gareth Davies, head of NAO, said: “Defra has allowed the Weybridge site to deteriorate to a point where major redevelopment is now urgently required.

“Considering the site’s importance to the UK, it has taken Defra a long time to set up a programme to redevelop it.

“The department has recently put in place many of the right measures to manage the redevelopment successfully, but it will need to navigate many risks to deliver a site that can protect the UK against animal disease outbreaks and demonstrate value for taxpayers.”

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Former environment secretary George Eustice has said that the UK-Australia free trade deal is “not actually a very good deal for the UK”.

Speaking during a Commons debate yesterday (Monday, November 14) Eustice, who helped secure the agreement, said: “Unless we recognise the failures that the Department for International Trade (DIT) made during the Australia negotiations, we won’t be able to learn the lessons for future negotiations.

“It has to be said that, overall, the truth of the matter is, that the UK gave away far too much for far too little in return.”

Eustice said the “failures” in the trade deal negotiations weren’t for “lack of trying” on his part, and that the few successful elements of the deal were “either predominantly or exclusively” negotiated by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Farming organisations that spoke out against the deal at the time have responded to Eustice’s comments.

Civil society campaigners, Best for Britain, believe that Eustice should apologise for the trade deal.

Chief executive of the organisation, Naomi Smith, said: “We repeatedly warned that this deal would both dilute food and animal welfare standards in the UK and undercut British farmers while delivering next to no benefits.

“This admission makes the government look like dodgy PPI dealers. Eustice must now apologise for mis-selling the public this deal and Sunak must prioritise growth by improving the dud deals promoted by his predecessors and removing post-Brexit barriers to trade.”

The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has said that it warned against the deal because it would give away “massive access to the UK food markets in exchange for negligible benefits”.

FUW president, Glyn Roberts, said that Eustice has “confirmed everything the FUW has stated throughout”.

“The positive spin given by Boris Johnson, ministers and MPs about these deals at the time was complete nonsense,” he said.

“We have always known and made clear that these deals sell UK farmers and food security down the river in exchange for virtually nothing.

“The UK gave away massive and ultimately complete access to our markets for beef, lamb and dairy products in exchange for minute benefits, all in order to meet deadlines for politically expedient press releases.”

UK-Australia free trade deal

The UK and Australia reached an agreement on international trade on June 14, 2021.

The deal was reached between former UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and former Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison.

The final deal was signed in a virtual ceremony by former International Trade secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, on December 17, 2021.

The agreement “eliminates tariffs on all UK goods and boosting jobs and businesses across the country”, the UK government said, in what was the “first major trade deal negotiated from scratch” since the UK left the EU.

The FUW and the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) were both publicly against the trade deal, with NFU president Minette Batters saying that it would “jeopardise” the UK farming industry.

Batters said the deal would “cause the demise of many, many beef and sheep farms throughout the UK”.

“We remain of the view that it is wholly irresponsible for government to sign a trade deal with no tariffs or quotas on sensitive products and which therefore undermines our own domestic economy and businesses,” she said.

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The National Sheep Association (NSA) has said it is looking forward to increasing awareness and appreciation of the benefits of permanent pasture grasslands, as COP27 continues this week in Egypt.

The NSA said professors and researchers within the agricultural sector around the world are recognising the value of grasslands to the carbon cycle, biodiversity, habitats and soil organic matter.

Chief executive of the NSA, Phil Stocker, said: “Farming and the environment are inextricably linked in the UK.

“Our unique landscape, formed through thousands of years of traditional farming methods and management by farmers, including the grazing of sheep, has encouraged the adaptation of many animal and plant species.”

Pasture grasses take CO2 from the atmosphere and sequester it in soil, roots and foliage.

With two-thirds of terrestrial carbon in British landscapes in soils in the form of organic matter and soil life, NSA believes that permanent pasture and unimproved grassland are reliable ways to deliver environmental gains and food production from land unsuitable for cultivation.

“Across the UK, grasslands need to be at the heart of sustainable, nature-friendly farming, being grazed by farm livestock,” Stocker said.

“Farmers and other land managers across the UK are critical to unlocking the potential situation that grasslands and other sustainable land management offer.

Stocker said that recent warnings from the UN at this year’s COP27 in Egypt convey the desperate need for governments to adopt a different approach and invest in sustainable farming rather than mass planting trees.

He said there must be an adequate investment in renewable energy and a focused approach to food and retailer sourcing putting as much British produce first as possible.

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Welsh Minister for Climate Change, Julie James, has told the world leaders at COP27 that there is “no time to rest” in responding to the climate emergency.

Speaking at a Welsh government press conference, the minister said responding to climate change is an opportunity to create new green jobs and improve health and wellbeing by taking care of the environment.

“Many of the issues we face are interlinked and can be addressed with integrated solutions,” James said.

“Home-grown renewable energy helps to lower our carbon emissions and creates green jobs, but it may also help to protect bill payers from some of the current volatility in the gas and electricity markets, which is causing prices to spike at the moment.”

At last year’s COP26 in Glasgow, Wales joined the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance and called time on coal and fossil fuel extraction.

Last month, the Welsh government announced plans to develop publicly-owned renewable energy developer, which will see profits reinvested in local communities in Wales to benefit the people in Wales.

The chief medical officer (CMO) for Wales has warned of an increase in unusual weather events, such as extreme heat, cold and floods.

The government believes this is likely to disproportionately affect the most vulnerable people living in deprived areas and further exacerbate health inequalities.

“Our transition to net zero must have social justice at its heart and leave nobody behind,” James said.

“We must not shy away from what is needed over the next decade, which will shape the future of our country.

“Just as I’m asking all world leaders at COP27 not to rest when it comes to climate change, I want to ask everyone in Wales to be part of our journey to net zero.

“I want everyone to come together as one big team, to act on the climate and to build a better future for our country.”

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The 27th United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference, COP27, kicks off this weekend in Sharm El Sheikh, Eygpt.

COP27 will run from Sunday (November 6) to Friday, November 18.

The conference will see heads of state, academics and a host of organisations and businesses from around the world gather to discuss matters related to climate change.

In a bid to show leadership on tackling climate change, the new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be in attendance, and will join other world leaders including the presidents of France, the European Commission, South Africa and Ireland.

England

Despite initially saying he would not attend, Sunak took to Twitter on Wednesday (November 2) to confirm that he would be attending COP27.

“There is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change,” he said.

“There is no energy security without investing in renewables.

“That is why I will attend COP27 next week: To deliver on Glasgow’s legacy of building a secure and sustainable future,” he said.

Scotland

Last year’s edition of the conference, COP26, was held at the SEC Centre in Glasgow.

Environment Minister for the Scottish government, Mairi McAllan, said: “At COP26 in Glasgow, one of our biggest achievements was raising awareness that the people least responsible for global warming are often the ones suffering its worst consequences.

“Young people in the global south are all too aware of this injustice – they have not caused this crisis, but their lives are already being impacted by its consequences.

“That is why it is so important that their voices are heard at COP27 and I am proud that Scotland is able to help make that happen,” she said.

National Farmers’ Union

Representatives from the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) will be in attendance at COP27. The union has represented British farmers at every COP since 2015.

“This year we will be promoting the work farmers are doing to produce climate-friendly food, highlighting how severe weather if affecting farming and the impact that the energy crisis is having on farm businesses,” the union said.

NFU Cymru president, Aled Jones, will be speaking during the conference about the need for finance and investment in the sector, and to show the NFU’s willingness to work with farmers across the world to improve agriculture’s climate credentials.

Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW)

The FUW president, Glyn Roberts, has said that Welsh farmers are part of the solution to tackling the climate emergency.

“Farmers across the country take the climate and biodiversity emergency seriously and are actively taking steps to contribute in a positive way by protecting, enhancing and adding to existing carbon stores on farms, alongside increasing efficiencies,” he said.

“Our members are as committed as others across the UK to reducing greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible, whilst producing sustainable, nutritious food.

“Their role in the climate emergency is not one of damage but one of protection, restoration and nourishment.

“As COP27 is on the way, I’d urge you to carefully consider the facts, whether environmentally or nutritionally, and keep in mind that farming in Wales is part of the solution to tackling the climate emergency – not the problem,” Roberts concluded.

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Around 400 Scottish farmers and crofters gathered outside the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood, Edinburgh, today (Wednesday, November 2) to deliver their message that ‘food needs a farmer’.

The rally, which was organised by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Scotland, aimed to promote farming, crofting and food production as the central pillar of Scottish agricultural policy.

Some politicians accepted invitations to the rally, including Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Mairi Gougeon; Scottish Conservative Party leader Douglas Ross; Scottish Labour Party’s Colin Smyth MSP; Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP; Green MSP Ariane Burgess; Rural Affairs Committee chair Finlay Carson MSP; and farmer and SNP MSP Jim Fairlie.

More than 40 MSPs left the parliament building to meet with their constituents.

The rally was staged to coincide with Scotland’s farmers and crofters being consulted by Scottish government on a future agricultural policy for the nation. 

Speaking after the event, NFU Scotland President, Martin Kennedy said:

“Farmers and crofters have delivered a clear message that any new policy created by the proposed new Agriculture Bill must put food production front and centre when it comes to delivering all the economic, social, and environmental benefits that all agricultural businesses will be asked to provide.

“At a UK level, we have taken our eye off the ball on energy and look at the mess we have got ourselves into. 

“We cannot repeat that same mistake with food or the food and cost of living crisis we are all currently enduring will simply get worse. Food security is now a global issue, and we have a moral obligation to produce it.”

Kennedy thanks the politicians who joined the rally and urged them to take the message on board.

“We call on them to acknowledge that active farming and crofting have the answers when it comes to putting high quality, local, sustainable, and affordable food on the table and at the same time delivering for the nation on climate change and biodiversity,” he said.

“It is within their gift to deliver a future agricultural policy for Scotland that supports active farming and crofting.

“That will build our communities and keep the lights on in rural villages and areas.”

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The third reading of the Genetic Technology Bill is scheduled for today (October 31) and is expected to be introduced in the House of Lords the following day

The government has proposed that this legislation will unlock new technologies to boost food production and support farmers to grow more productive crops.

Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:

“We are already seeing how new genetic technologies can increase yields, make our food more nutritious and result in crops that are more resistant to disease and weather extremes.

“British scientists are leading the world in precision breeding and this bill will put Britain at the forefront of agri-research and innovation – opening the door for more investment and continuing our work to provide farmers with the tools they need to innovate and use new, smart technologies.”

The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill covers precision-bred plants and animals developed through techniques such as gene editing, where the genetic changes could have occurred naturally or through traditional breeding methods.

This is different to genetic modification (GM), which produces organisms containing additional genes.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs chief scientific adviser Gideon Henderson said:

“This is an important time for agricultural science. The ability to use gene editing to make precise, targeted changes to the genetic code of organisms.

“For centuries, traditional breeders have made use of our understanding of genetics to breed plant varieties with desirable characteristics.

“Gene editing allows precision breeding to make the same type of genetic changes in a far more efficient and precise way, significantly reducing the time needed to create new varieties.

“Precision breeding is a powerful and important tool to help us tackle the challenges of biodiversity and climate change, while feeding a still growing global population”.

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The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is calling on the government to deliver on its commitment to animal health and welfare by ensuring the continuation of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill through Parliament.

In a letter to the Secretary of State released on Wednesday (October 26), BVA president Malcolm Morley aimed to remind the government of the importance of the bill and urged the Secretary of State to take action.

The BVA said it has long campaigned for activity in areas covered by the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, which makes provision for the welfare of certain kept animals that are in, imported into or exported out of Great Britain.

The bill was first introduced in the House of Commons on June 8, 2021, and then carried over into the 2021-22 Parliamentary session, with the remaining stages scheduled for September 19, 2022.

However, this date was cancelled due to national events, and the progress of the bill has since stalled.

Speaking on the bill, Morley said: “This vital bill will address some of the most pressing animal health and welfare issues of our times.”

“With this in mind, it is essential that it continues to include vital measures, such as those designed to tackle puppy smuggling, prohibit the import of dogs with cropped ears, review zoo standards, impose a ban on keeping primates as pets and introduce mandatory, reliable pre-import testing for dogs with unknown health statuses.

“While we recognise that recent national events have rightly and understandably led to changes in the parliamentary programme in recent weeks, we are urging the government not to let this important piece of legislation slip through the net as a result.

“The Bill is a golden opportunity to improve the health and welfare of billions of animals and it must continue its passage into law.”

BVA is also encouraging BVA members and other veterinary professionals to write to their MPs impressing the urgency and need to continue to push the Bill through Parliament.

A template letter to MPs is now available to download for veterinary professionals to complete and send to their MPs and is available on the BVA website.

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The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced a new ‘Approved Importers scheme’ for pet imports from currently higher-risk countries.

The scheme, introduced on Tuesday (October 25), will replace the temporary ban on commercial imports, including rescue animals, from Belarus, Poland, Romania and Ukraine.

Anyone commercially importing dogs, cats and ferrets into Great Britain from the previously suspended countries can now apply for Approved Importer status with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) from October 29, 2022.

In order to be approved, importers must be based or have representation in the UK, have no record of serious non-compliances in the last 12 months, and share with APHA the details of the transporter and their premises.

Defra said the move is being taken as an increasing number of people are choosing to import pets from abroad with the hope of rehoming them, unaware of the associated health and welfare risks.

Chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss, said: “Commercial imports, including rescue animals, are often of unknown background and disease status.”

“Under the government’s new scheme, tighter controls will mean approved importers must arrive through designated points of entry and share all relevant health certificates, documents and blood tests before arrival to allow for more rigorous checks to take place.”

“This will help protect animal and human health,” she said.

Biosecurity minister, Lord Benyon, said: “We are committed to ensuring safe commercial pet movements including rescues can continue and stopping those which carry too great a biosecurity risk.” 

“The new scheme means we can safely lift the temporary suspension and allow only for safe movements from APHA-approved importers, helping to ensure we maintain our biosecurity standards and our vital rabies-free status.”

Before legally importing animals into Great Britain, approved importers will now be required to:

• Notify APHA of details of the planned movement including place of origin, name of transporter, destination of animals, the planned route and carrier at least 7 days prior to arrival;
• Upload all relevant export health certificates and blood tests two days before arrival. This is to allow more checks to take place;
• Note that imports arriving from or via the EU by rail or car must arrive at Dover or Folkestone, only on Monday to Friday between 10am and 4pm;
• Animals travelling by air must enter Great Britain at a Border Control Post. (Edinburgh, London Gatwick or London Heathrow).

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New government support for the poultry industry has been announced to assist farmers and producers with the impacts of bird flu.

The United Kingdom is dealing with its worst ever bird flu outbreak with over 200 cases confirmed across the country in the last 12 months.

Under the new plans, the government will alter the existing bird flu compensation scheme allowing compensation to be paid to farmers from the outset of planned culling rather than at the end.

This will allow the government to provide swifter payments to the poultry industry to help stem any cash flow pressures and give earlier certainty about entitlement to compensation.

In consultation with the Food Standards Agency, an easement to marketing rules is also being introduced in England.

The measures mean that farmers who breed turkeys, geese or ducks for their meat will have the option to slaughter their flocks early and to freeze these products, which can then be defrosted and sold to consumers between the period November 28 and December 31, 2022.

Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:

“Farmers and poultry producers are facing real pressures as a result of this bird flu outbreak, and we know many are concerned about the impact on their flocks

“We hope the practical solutions announced today will help provide greater financial certainty for the poultry industry.

“We very much appreciate the continued cooperation from the sector as we battle this insidious disease and will continue to keep the situation under close review.”

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The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has called on the new Environment Secretary, Thérèse Coffey, to improve the Environmental Land Management schemes (ELM).

The association is urging Coffey to “work quickly” to improve the schemes, as many farmers and landowners were “yet to be convinced” the schemes were right for their businesses, they said.

“We call on Dr. Coffey to work quickly to improve the schemes – not least by fast-tracking key elements of SFI (Sustainable Farming Incentive) standards and announcing measures for 2023 and beyond,” said CLA president, Mark Tufnell.

“This will give farmers the confidence they desperately need that [the] ELM can help them feed the nation as well as help to improve the natural environment.

“The UK government’s flagship ELM schemes set out an ambitious and welcome direction,” he added.

“However, many farmers are yet to be convinced the schemes are right for their business, not helped by very poor communication from ministers about their intentions for the schemes through the recent political chaos.”

Environment Secretary

Tufnell added that the CLA “warmly welcomes” Coffey to her new position.

Coffey was appointed to the role of Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs yesterday (Tuesday, October 25) following Ranil Jayawardena’s resignation and a cabinet reshuffling by new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

She is leaving her role in Liz Truss’ cabinet as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and Deputy Prime Minister

Previously, she was Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions and Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

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The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is warning that the nation’s animal welfare standards could plunge, as 44 animal welfare laws carried over from the EU could potentially be scrapped by a new bill.

Around 80% of all major animal welfare laws in the UK were agreed when the UK was a member of the EU.

Existing laws including the battery hen ban, the ban on cosmetics testing on animals and the banning of growth promoters in farm animals are just some of animal welfare-related pieces of legislation brought over from the EU which are now in danger of being scrapped according to the RSPCA.

The REUL Bill which was passed at its second stage in the House of Commons, sets out a filtering process to ascertain if a retained EU law should be continued.

Altogether, a total of 2,417 laws need to be assessed by the end of 2023.

The concern is that many of them – including the 44 animal welfare laws – could automatically be lost as time runs out, as laws will be revoked by default at that stage unless ministers actively move to save them.

RSPCA head of public affairs David Bowles said:

“If the REUL Bill passes, the clock will start ticking on animal welfare standards in the UK.

“Hard-won laws that we take for granted now, such as the bans on battery hens, cosmetics testing on animals and growth promoters given to farm animals are now at risk and could be lost.

“If inertia or a lack of commitment from the new administration results in the time running out before the filtering process of those 44 key pieces of animal welfare legislation can take place, those laws will automatically vanish into thin air.

“That would be a tragedy. Not only would it be a huge backward step for animals but the UK government would have reneged on its commitment to maintain high standards of animal welfare post-Brexit, because around 80% of all major animal welfare laws in the UK are those carried over from the EU.

“We must not allow animal welfare standards to drop as a result of the UK government’s determination to create a bonfire of EU laws.”

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The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has called on new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to keep animal welfare high on the government agenda.

In a statement today (Wednesday, October 26) BVA president Malcolm Morley said that restoring economic stability will “be a top priority” for Sunak as he steps into his new role.

However, he added that Sunak should ensure that “safeguarding the UK’s global reputation for the highest standards in animal welfare also remains high on the government’s agenda”.

He said that this should remain a priority “as the country continues to navigate the impacts of leaving the EU and looks to build new international trade opportunities”.

“It is imperative that the Kept Animals Bill doesn’t falter during this period of transition and continues its journey through Parliament and into law,” Morley said.

“BVA has long campaigned for action in areas covered by the bill, including measures to tackle puppy smuggling, prohibit the import of dogs with cropped ears, review zoo standards and impose a ban on keeping primates as pets.

“This new legislation will bring significant positive change for the pets, livestock and wildlife in the UK, addressing some of the most pressing animal health and welfare issues of our time,” he added.

The BVA is the largest membership community for the veterinary profession in the UK.

It represents the views of over 19,000 vets and vet students on animal health and welfare, and veterinary policy issues to government, parliamentarians and key influencers in the UK and EU.

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Leading Scottish politicians will address Scotland’s farmers and crofters when they rally on Wednesday, November 2, outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

The rally comes at a time when Scotland’s farmers and crofters are being consulted by Scottish government on a future agricultural policy for the nation.

National Farmers Union (NFU) Scotland President, Martin Kennedy said:

“The Scottish government consultation on a new Agriculture Bill is a critical step on the road to a new agricultural policy and determining fundamental changes to how farming and crofting will be supported in the future.

“But farmers and crofters are being asked to discuss these massive issues in an information vacuum.

Kennedy said that farmers and crofters will deliver a clear message that any powers created by the proposed new Agriculture Bill must put food production at the heart of delivering all the economic, social and environmental benefits that all agricultural businesses will be asked to deliver.

“The Scottish Parliament must acknowledge that active farming and crofting have the answers when it comes to putting high quality, local, sustainable, and affordable food on the table and at the same time delivering for the nation on climate change and biodiversity.

“Only farmers and crofters across Scotland can turn the dry legislation of a new Agriculture Bill into practices that deliver for food, climate and nature but we need to know now from Scottish government what those options look like.

“The lack of recognition of our industry within the Bill, and all it delivers, is unacceptable and fails to acknowledge the urgent need to address the worsening food security crisis.”

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Following a cabinet reshuffle, Thérèse Coffey has been appointed to the position of Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Coffey was appointed to the position yesterday (Tuesday, October 25) following the resignation of her predecessor, Ranil Jayawardena.

Jayawardena wrote to new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday to announce his resignation.

“I know that you wish for a new team to join you in HM Government, so I write to stand aside,” he wrote to Sunak.

Jayawardena served as Environment Secretary from September 6, 2022, up until his resignation.

Thérèse Coffey

Coffey was previously Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and Deputy Prime Minister, between September 6, 2022, and October 25, 2022.

She was Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions between September 8, 2019, and 6 September 6, 2022.

She was Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) between July 25, 2019, and September 8, 2019.

Coffey worked for the international company Mars and when she qualified as a chartered management accountant, she became finance director for a UK subsidiary of Mars. She has also worked at the BBC.

Coffey’s responsibilities as the new Environment Secretary will be as follows:

• Water quality and security;
• Food production and security;
• Economic growth;
• International relations;
• Senior appointments.

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Ranil Jayawardena has resigned from his role as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ahead of a to-be-expected cabinet reshuffling following the appointment of the UK’s new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.

“I know that you wish for a new team to join you in HM Government, so I write to stand aside,” he wrote to Sunak today (Tuesday, October 25).

Jayawardena offered his “congratulations” on Sunak’s appointment.

Environment Scretary

Jayawardena served as Environment Secretary from September 6, 2022, up until his resignation today.

In his resignation letter, he said he was “very grateful” to former Prime Minister Liz Truss for choosing him for the role and that he was “pleased to have laid the groundwork to ‘free our farmers’ and to continue protecting our environment”.

“After much work in my tenure, my successor will now be able to take forward the plans set in motion to improve our nation’s environmental land management schemes, making them easier for farmers to access, removing current areas of frustration, updating and replacing outdated regulations, and going further and faster to deliver the ambitions of the Conservative Party for food farming, climate and the environment,” he said.

“From food security and backing British farmers, to water security and growing our rural economy, I am sure that HM Government will continue to deliver, and you will have my support in doing so.”

“I will continue to work hard for the people of North East Hampshire, where it continues to be an enormous honor to serve as their local Member of Parliament,” he added.

“As it has been since 2015, I remain on their side.”

Jayawardena previously served as Minister for International Trade from May 2020 to September 2022. He was elected as the Conservative MP for North East Hampshire in 2015.

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Rishi Sunak, the UK’s new Prime Minister, has pledged to “protect our environment”.

This commitment he said, is at the heart of the Conservative manifesto, which he intends to deliver on.

It also includes commitments to deliver better schools; a stronger national health service (NHS); safer streets; control of UK borders; and support for armed forces.

Speaking on the steps of 10 Downing Street today (Tuesday, October 25), Sunak also recognised the state of the country’s financial outlook.

“Right now our country is facing a profound economic crisis,” he said.

“Putin’s war in Ukraine has destabilised energy markets and supply chains the world over.”

He said that his predecessor, Liz Truss, made some “mistakes” – noting they were not “borne of ill will or bad intentions” – and said that he intends to fix them.

“I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government’s agenda,” he said.

Rishi Sunak

Sunak was officially made Prime Minister after a meeting with King Charles III earlier today.

He had won the Conservatives internal party race yesterday (Monday, October 24).

The 42-year-old, who was previously chancellor of the exchequer, replaces Liz Truss, who lasted just 45 days in office.

He has been keen, in the past, to highlight his support for farmers.

On his constituency Richmond (Yorks) website he states:

“Farming is vital to our rural economy and communities. From the Upper Dales to Great Ayton, from sheep to dairy to arable, through Auction Marts at Hawes, Leyburn and Northallerton, farming touches every part of the constituency.”

Sunak has also been critical of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the past, claiming that it had done nothing to deliver for “farmers, farming and the environment”, and has encouraged farmers to “capitalise on the great opportunities ahead having left the European Union and the Common Agricultural Policy”. 

To read more about his thoughts on farming, click here.

Working for rural communities

Tim Bonner, Countryside Alliance’s chief executive, has noted that Sunak is aware of the current situation in rural areas.

“As a rural MP, Rishi Sunak will know the anxieites many in the countryside face in relation to the cost-of-living crisis,” he said.

“Food security and the transition of farm support to help tackle the huge challenges of climate change and reversing biodiversity decline are also high on his government’s agenda,” the chief executive noted.

“The challenges ahead are significant and complex.

“As a rural campaigning organisation, we look forward to working with the new government to ensure the rural way of life is protected and the countryside is never just a second thought,” he said.

Sharing this sentiment, president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), Minette Batters, said:

“I am looking forward to working with Rishi Sunak on his plans to maintain and grow the nation’s food production and to ensure British farming continues to deliver for the environment, economy and food security.” 

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The Welsh food and drink sector continues to succeed as latest figures show the supply chain turnover increased to £23 billion in 2021.

These figures follow the news from earlier in the year that Welsh food and drink exports hit a record high in 2021, reaching £640 million.

The Welsh government said it will continue to help businesses in the sector through multiple support schemes providing market insight and intelligence, investment, technical support, export support and strong emphasis on business networking.

Rural affairs minister, Lesley Griffiths, said: “These figures demonstrate the commitment and desire of Welsh food and drink businesses to succeed, despite the rough economic situation they face.”

“I am very proud of the resilience and enterprise shown by businesses emerging from the pndemic and overcoming multiple supply chain challenges.”

“Wales’ innovative spirit continues to shine brightly in the sector and the proof is in the pudding with Welsh businesses continuing to pick up awards.”

She said the the support of the Welsh government is playing an important role and will continue to do so as it strives to “help companies reach their full potential”, according to Griffiths.

Boosting trade with the USA

Seven Welsh businesses are set to go to America this week as part of a Welsh government-led trade mission to help boost trade and export links.

The delegation is going to North and South Carolina, where they will meet with businesses and potential new custiomers and partners.

The trip is part of the Welsh government’s commitment to supporting Welsh business to grow in Wales and sell to the world, as part of its Export Action Plan.

The USA is Wales’ top export market for goods, accounting for 15.7% (£2.9 billion) of total goods exports and, over the past year, the value of Welsh goods to the USA increased by 69.6% (£1.2 billion).

The mission is part of a series of activities being delivered by the Welsh Government in the run up to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, in which Wales’ first match is against the USA.

Wales’ economy minister, Vaughan Gething, said: “The USA is an important market for Wales and I’m pleased the Welsh government can support this delegation of Welsh business talent on our first ever trade visit to the Carolinas.”

“This is an excellent opportunity for our businesses to explore the market and build connections with international partners.”

“The mission, which is part of a wider trade mission programme delivered by the Welsh government shows our determination to back Welsh businesses to grow in Wales, and to sell to the world,” he said.

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Average rainfall over winter will not be enough to prevent drought conditions in some areas past spring of 2023, the National Drought Group (NDG) has said.

Many water companies have also suggested impending drought or drought conditions will remain beyond spring in some areas – notably in parts of the South West, South East, East and Yorkshire and East Midlands – if rainfall is below average.

At a meeting today (Friday, October 14), chaired by Environment Agency chief executive James Bevan, NDG members discussed projections for a dry autumn and winter on the water, agriculture and environment sectors in 2023.

The group, made up of six senior decision-makers from the Environment Agency, government, water companies and key farming and environmental groups, also discussed actions needed over the next six months to sustain essential water supplies in preparation for spring/summer next year.

These will include water companies implementing their drought plans and accelerating infrastructure plans to improve resilience of water supplies.

Among other actions, the Environment Agency said it will manage water abstraction licenses, take decisions on drought permits and operating its water transfer schemes.

Bevan said: “Our lives, livelihoods and nature all depend on one thing – water. Climate change and population growth mean we need to take action now to ensure we have enough over the coming decades to manage everyday supplies, and more intense drought events.

“We have a plant to do that and delivering it will require all of us to wok together – government, water companies, regulators, farmers and businesses, and each of us as individuals.

“The Environment Agency is determined to do its part.”

Water Minister Trudy Harrison said that the record-breaking temperatures, unusually low rainfall and widespread drought throughout the country this year has highlighted the need to adapt water supplies for the future.

“The work of the National Drought Group is ensuring that we can manage down the risk of continuing drought conditions, so that the impact is less severe for all of us,” she said.

Projections were presented by the Environment Agency on behalf of contributing NDG members such as the water companies, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and Canal and Rivers Trust.

NDG members heard that:

• Water companies expect water resources to recover to either normal or recovering conditions by spring if we receive average rainfall – but several companies forecast that some supply areas will still remain in drought or impending drought conditions;
• The lack of moisture in soils led to significant agricultural impacts and reduced water availability for farmers this year. Winter refill of farm storage reservoirs may be constrained if there is below average rainfall this winter;
• Even with typical rainfall over winter, we could still see environmental impacts in 2023 due to a lag in the environmental response to the dry weather. These include impacts on fish populations, and a higher number of environmental incidents such as fish rescues being needed as a result of lower river flows;
• All sectors must plan for all scenarios, continue using water wisely and maximise access to water for all sectors and the environment.

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