I hope members feel that the NFU has been at the forefront of the big farming issues – making your views known clearly and publicly, and pushing for change.
But beyond the headlines lie half a dozen crucial pieces of legislation that could have a significant impact on British farms.
These are the ‘super six’ that we’re keeping a particularly close eye on right now:
- Renters’ Rights Bill
- Planning and Infrastructure Bill
- Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
- Crime and Policing Bill
- Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025
- The Agriculture (Delinked Payments) (Reductions) (England) Regulations 2025
NFU amendments
The NFU currently has string of amendments in the pipeline for these. We’re seeking to protect the special nature of renting housing to agricultural workers in the Renters’ Rights Bill and to strengthen the government’s responsibilities for tackling illegal meat imports in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill.
We are considering whether we can try to toughen legislation on catapults and slingshots in the Crime and Policing Bill and we’ll shortly be tabling amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, particularly around compulsory purchases.
The NFU strongly made the case for implementing the Precision Breeding Act so new genetic technologies on British farms can be part of the solution to food security by this autumn.
Given the complex and contentious nature of the topic, and the change of government, this timescale is a really significant achievement and was the culmination of five years of NFU work.
The Agriculture (Delinked Payments) (England) Regulations 2025 bring in the cuts to delinked payments announced at the Autumn Budget. The NFU’s views on these reductions are clear, and we are briefing MPs and Peers accordingly.
Influencing legislation
But, influencing these pieces of legislation is more of an art than a science and it often means being in the right place at the right time for a long time. Studiously monitoring draft legislation gives us the opportunity to intervene at the earliest opportunity.
And the moment when we can often have the biggest impact for our members is before anything is published, as the emerging thinking takes shape.
You can read more about this in my opinion piece about how the NFU influences decisions in Parliament.
But, rest assured, the NFU is using all of its know-how in Westminster to make sure our members’ views are represented and given the best chance of being listened to.
