During her time at the NFU she has worked with British farmers on an wide array of diverse policy issues including HS2, the Campaign for the Farmed Environment and science and innovation.
She is currently the NFU’s Head of Policy.
Is there one single, tangible thing that gives British farmers the edge over our global counterparts? In short, no – there are, of course, many things that give us the edge. But the most important ingredient is the farmer, their workforce and family. These are the people who give us the edge.
I was once told that there is nothing more contagious than someone who has enthusiasm for what they do. One thing that has struck me in all my time at the NFU is the professionalism and sheer passion of British farmers. So, picking up the theme of this week’s Oxford Farming Conference report I’ve taken a moment to investigate what really gives British farmers the edge.
It is the resilience and entrepreneurial nature of British farmers, however varied their farm businesses and end markets may be, that has seen British agriculture ride the economic down turn which has seen so many other sectors suffer over the last few years.
Agriculture’s contribution to the economy, as measured by GVA (Gross Value Added), is currently approximately £9.2 billion. This has grown by £2.3 billion in the five years to 2013 – a 34% increase.
That’s pretty good going considering the UK economy today is only marginally larger than it was before the recession hit in 2008 and has effectively stalled for the last 6 years.
During the same period farm output has grown by 31%, to £25.7 billion. So, when I read this year’s rather downbeat OFC15 report, whilst there are certainly elements I recognise like the need for greater investment and access to science and the importance of attention to detail, I was left feeling rather “half empty”.
The real question for me is how do we capitalise on our natural assets as an industry? A couple of years ago I was asked at a major meeting of the Westminster Food and Nutrition Forum, what is the most important ingredient to help farmers seeing their businesses thrive and grow. I simply said “confidence”.
By that I mean confidence in markets, confidence in our access to knowledge, confidence that the tools we have today will be available and fit for purpose tomorrow to do the day job, confidence in our investment in the wide diversity of food and non-food producer opportunities, confidence that we are playing in a regulatory level playing field and last, but certainly not least, confidence that we have the support of British consumers.
At a time when confidence in all areas is undeniably threatened by volatility in food and energy prices as well as the weather, the NFU has a vital role to play in helping create the right conditions for building that all important ingredient of confidence.
So, in this unpredictable world we live in today, it’s not just a case of battening down the hatches and sitting out the next storm, it’s about having the confidence to step out and step up to the challenge that lies ahead. And that’s exactly what we’re doing. Moreover, our farmers and growers have the natural assets to do this.
With the General Election just a matter of months away it is essential politicians, retailers, processers and consumers back our entrepreneurial and resilient British farmers to do what they do best – and give us the edge.