From key policy announcements to passionate debates about the future of British farming, NFU Conference 2025 sparked widespread interest and discussion.
Shaping the news agenda
The NFU’s officeholders featured across major broadcast outlets, providing insight and reaction to Defra Secretary of State Steve Reed’s speech and other key discussions.
- NFU President Tom Bradshaw appeared on BBC Farming Today (6:24), Sky News Breakfast, LBC with Nick Ferrari (2:25:41), 5 News, GB News (23:50) and The Telegraph’s The Daily T podcast (24:50).
- NFU Deputy President David Exwood spoke on LBC News with Jim Diamond (2:32:19).
- NFU Vice President Rachel Hallos featured on Times Radio with John Pienaar (49:41).
NFU members from across the country also had their voices heard too. On Times Radio, Tom Walton, an Aylesbury farmer, reacted to Steve Reed’s speech with Hugo Rifkind (1:06:43), while Cambridgeshire member Tom Martin joined Carole Walker to discuss the state of British farming alongside Farmers Weekly editor Andrew Meredith.
The NFU’s calls for action on inheritance tax, seasonal workers, and farm investment were widely debated, with BBC’s Farming Today interviewing Steve Reed on the inheritance tax issue, following a question from NFU Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland county chair Joe Stanley at the conference.
Making headlines
The conference dominated the pages of national newspapers:
- The Guardian, The Telegraph, City A.M. and Daily Mail covered NFU President Tom Bradshaw’s speech.
- Daily Mail, Sky News and Evening Standard reported on Defra Secretary Steve Reed’s policy announcements on seasonal workers, capital grants, and Higher Level Stewardship payments.
- The Telegraph and The Sun featured farmers’ reactions to the announcements.
A powerful moment came when farming families delivered letters from children to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, warning of the impact of inheritance tax on family farms. This made the front page of the Daily Express and was highlighted on GB News.
The Guardian’s Photos of the Day also features the NFU toy display outside of Conference, which symbolised the next generation of farmers at risk due to the family farm tax.
A platform for farmers’ concerns
The conference also shone a spotlight on some of the biggest issues affecting farming today:
- The Guardian and i News covered Steve Reed’s commitment to extending the Seasonal Worker Scheme for five years, a major NFU ask.
- The Times, The Telegraph, Daily Mail and Evening Standard reported on Tom Bradshaw’s call for lethal control as an option for managing beaver populations if they threaten flood defences.
Keeping farming in the public eye
With a reach of 750 million people, this year’s conference has helped put British farming on the national agenda.
The coverage highlights the importance of NFU members standing together to ensure their voices are heard.
If you missed any of the discussions or want to keep up with where the NFU is featuring the press, follow us on our NFU Press Team (@NFUPress) / X account.
Let’s keep the conversation going. Farming’s future depends on it.