The last 12 months have proven the resilience of the East's "amazing" farmers says Zoe Leach, regional director for the National Farmers' Union (NFU).
As we entered 2023 still in the grip of the worst avian flu outbreak that this country had seen and with many parts of the region still in drought status, it is bewildering to see how dramatically things can change in 12 months.
We end the year with many areas still under water from more rain than many can remember, and farmers struggling to harvest sugar beet and potatoes and hoping their newly-planted crops will survive the winter.
What I am constantly amazed by, however, is the stoicism with which many NFU members take these issues in their stride and carry on while helping those impacted by flooding, assisting anyone in need in bad weather, pulling trees and other debris from roads and many other small but greatly appreciated tasks.
They just do this without thinking, seeing it as part of their role as custodians of the countryside and it is something that I am very proud of.
The vast majority just want to get on, work hard, and produce good, healthy, safe food for their communities and the nation.
Disappointingly, but not unsurprisingly given the glacial speed with which anything happens in government, we are still lobbying to convince politicians to recognise the need for some level of food security in this country and to deliver on what was committed to in terms of addressing fairness in the supply chain.
While it is a given that we need to import food from other countries, we must not become reliant on these imports.
Time and again we have seen far too many empty shelves in supermarkets where those countries we import from have had drought or other issues and prefer to supply markets closer to home, whereas our producers have had to stop growing because retailers fail to offer them a fair price.
Government places many regulations on how we produce food in this country (and rightly so) but then allows food to come into the country that would be illegal to produce here, which is incredibly unfair.
This is why we are supporting the use of a "buy British" button on supermarket apps which enables people to selectively source food from this country. Well done to Morrisons for being the first to use this.
We are still trying to help farmers understand new environmental schemes and pushing hard for more detail to help people plan ahead.
There is temptation to take land out of production too, as incentives to produce things other than food, like energy and wildflowers, become far more attractive. All the more reason for a properly thought-out and well-supported food strategy.
All of these issues are included in the NFU’s recently-published manifesto, which calls for all political parties to support measures which help British farmers and growers to continue to deliver for the environment, economy and local communities while producing more of the great British food we all enjoy.
Finally, I can’t end without mentioning the latest challenge that livestock farmers in the East are facing in the form of a new virus which has arrived in this country.
Bluetongue, which only affects ruminants, like sheep and cattle, can be devastating both in terms of its impact on the animals themselves and on livelihoods.
While, at the time of writing, only a few bluetongue cases have been discovered in cattle in Norfolk, and further cases in Kent, the restrictions placed upon keepers in efforts to prevent any spread are harsh and will have long-lasting impacts until we can be sure that the disease is contained.
This will remain a constant threat into 2024, as increasing temperatures bring the threat of more disease-carrying midges, and until a vaccine is developed. The NFU will continue to fight for an effective government response.
2024 will undoubtedly bring more change and with it more challenge and opportunity - but I remain confident that our farmers will prevail.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here