Defra has this week published new figures from its farmer opinion tracker for England which has found farmer confidence remains poor, supporting the NFU’s own survey work which found confidence levels are at their lowest across the majority of sectors since records began in 2010.
Half of farmers do not feel positive about their future in farming Defra has said; of those making changes to their businesses, one quarter plan to reduce the size of their businesses and 14% plan to leave farming in the next 3-5 years.
Extreme weather, huge rises in energy costs and ‘damaging trade deals’ were cited as factors contributing towards this negative trend, with results showing that trade agreements with other countries were a factor for 29% of farmers who made changes to their business.
Restore stability and confidence
In response, Defra has said action is needed by the new government to restore stability and confidence in the sector.
Defra Secretary Steve Reed has said the government is introducing “a new deal for farmers to boost rural economic growth and strengthen food security alongside nature’s recovery”.
"We will protect farmers from being undercut in trade deals, make the supply chain work more fairly, prevent shock rises in bills by switching on GB Energy, better protect them from flooding through a new Flood Resilience Taskforce and use the government’s own purchasing power to back British produce.
“The work of change has now begun.”
What has Defra promised?
“There is a lot of work to be done and hurdles to overcome to ensure farming can continue to play its part in the health and wealth of our nation.”
NFU President Tom Bradshaw
As part of its ‘new deal’, the government has said it will be:
- Optimising Environmental Land Management schemes so they produce the right outcomes for all farmers – including those who have been too often ignored such as small, grassland, upland and tenanted farms – while delivering food security and nature recovery in a just and equitable way.
- Seeking a new veterinary agreement with the European Union to cut red tape at our borders and get British food exports moving again.
- Protecting farmers from being undercut by low welfare and low standards in trade deals.
- Using the government’s purchasing power to back British produce.
- Setting up a new British Infrastructure Council to steer private investment in rural areas including broadband rollout in rural communities.
- Speeding up the building of flood defences and natural flood management schemes, including through a new flood resilience taskforce to protect rural homes and farms.
- Introducing a land-use framework which balances long-term food security and nature recovery.
NFU reaction
Responding to the news, NFU President Tom Bradshaw welcomed the government’s “positive intentions to achieve our shared ambition of boosting UK food security”, adding that “it’s good to see a recognition that rebuilding confidence and stability is central to this”.
“Our own survey showed that farmer confidence has been battered by a myriad of issues, from farm profitability and the phasing out of BPS support to the devastating impact of extreme weather and flooding. Investment is key to overcoming these issues, to build business confidence and achieve growth in the sector. This must start with an increased multi-annual agriculture budget.
“The newly published National Planning Policy Framework can also be a way for the government to demonstrate that food security really is being prioritised, if it recognises that good agricultural land should be used to grow food.
“There is a lot of work to be done and hurdles to overcome to ensure farming can continue to play its part in the health and wealth of our nation, which is why we really value the open dialogue we have with the government to find those solutions which will deliver a more stable business environment where British farming can thrive, and ultimately bolster our nation’s economic and food resilience.”
