British Sugar says a "significant number" of farmers have already signed up to grow sugar beet for it next year - despite a bitter row.

A furious National Farmers' Union (NFU) Sugar - which negotiates a price on behalf of growers - appealed to government after the company went directly to growers with a baseline "offer" of £38/t while the two sides were still in talks.

Its chairman, Michael Sly, expressed outrage at the move and the NFU has called on the company to retract the offer so that talks can resume.

The company - which has factories in East Anglia including one at Bury St Edmunds - said it had made the offer so that farmers could plan their cropping for next year.

It added that it would honour any change to the price which might come out of the NFU Sugar talks.

It believes it has acted within the framework set up by government for the talks.

British Sugar agriculture director Dan Green acknowledged his side was still in a live negotiation process with NFU Sugar having been in mediation since September after failing to reach agreement from the start of talks in June.

Government this week stepped in to tell the two sides to get back around the negotiating table. The company said it wrote to the NFU on Tuesday (November 7) night following the government intervention and was waiting on a response.

Mr Green said the "offer" emailed to growers was not aimed at undercutting the process but reflected the need to give farmers some measure of certainty while talks take place.

The problem was that according to the framework the talks could continue until next September, he said. This was a hangover from the days of beet quotas, he explained, but didn't work for growers and their cropping timeframes. 

"Clearly for those growers wanting to finalise their decisions and decide whether to grow crops next year that doesn't work for them," he said.

"We believe that we are able to write to growers with the offer."

Every year British Sugar looks to get agreement from around 2,000 to 2,500 growers - mainly centred around East Anglia where the bulk of its production facilities are - to grow around 95,000 to 100,000ha.

Last year, UK growers delivered 750,000 tonnes of crop - which fell short significantly of the 1m tonne calculation - and meant that the company had to import from Europe in order to make up the shortfall and fulfil its orders.

This was a consequence of adverse weather conditions such as drought and frost, explained Mr Green.

"That left us in a position where the crop was lower than we anticipated so to deliver to our customers we did have to import some sugar," he said

This year, growers are already signing up to the company's interim "offer".

"We have had a significant number of growers sign up this year," said Mr Green.

However, the company remains "fully committed" to getting a price agreed with the NFU for the 2024/25 campaign - or sugar beet harvest, he said.

But he acknowledged "clearly, by what has been written" that relations between the two sides have taken a knocking.

"Hopefully we can get back around the table and we can improve the relationship," he said.

"We are waiting to hear from the NFU. We want them to get back to us," he said. "We are very happy to get around the table and have that discussion."

He added: “We have already reached out to the NFU to make sure that negotiations can re-start immediately and look forward to engaging with them and following the negotiation and dispute process in line with the Inter Professional Agreement."

The NFU said: "When British Sugar retracts its current sugar beet contract offer made to growers outside of the established process, NFU Sugar is ready to resume the negotiation process that the company bypassed last week. 

"But that price-setting process cannot function effectively whilst British Sugar is, at the same time, making unilateral offers to beet growers outside of it.

"We expect British Sugar to adhere to government’s direction and return to the negotiating table in good faith."