Suffolk farmers welcome PM vow to back food security

The prime minister underlined his commitment to food security when he addressed members of the National Farmers' Union (NFU) at their annual conference in Birmingham this week - a move which was welcomed by Suffolk and Essex farmers.

Rishi Sunak also said he would double the amount going to technology and innovation schemes such as robotics, roof-top solar and agricultural research to £220m in a bid to increase productivity.

The cash forms part of the government's commitment to maintain support for English farming at pre-Brexit levels of £2.4bn a year - a sum the NFU would like to see increased.

Speaking ahead of an expected general election this year and after polling which suggests the Labour may even be edging past the Tories in rural seats, Mr Sunak talked of cutting red tape.

He also said that he would ramp up a three yearly Food Security Index introduced in the Agriculture Act of 2020 to make it an annual report. This would be put into law "when parliamentary time allows", he said.

The commitments were welcomed by farmers and rural professionals in Suffolk and Essex - but they sounded a note of caution about their implementation.

Suffolk's NFU council representative George Gittus - who farms near Bury St Edmunds - cautioned that politicians were now in electioneering mode and would be making "promises of all sorts".

"Words are easy as we all know," he said, and "But the devil will be in the detail and we have to watch that there aren't any unintended consequences."

He didn't doubt the PM's intention but with many other issues dominating the political agenda getting the policies through before the election might prove problematic, he suggested.

"We are very honoured he (the PM) has come - that in itself shows a positive intent," he said. "There isn't anything you wouldn't welcome there."

He welcomed a doubling of the management fee attached to enrolling for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) from up to £1k to up to £2k.

He was also pleased about the introduction of a food security index as an antidote to offshoring UK food production to other countries.

"That is very important - there's no doubt and it has been something that all farming entities have been banging on about because otherwise all we are going to do is to be exporting our food production to invariably a lower standard," he said.

"It can only be a good thing," he said and would put "a bit of rigour" into home production. Farms needed to make money as businesses, he added.

"Profit seems to be an ugly word but you do need profit to invest and to pay people," he said.

At the same time, farming cycles were fixed, and could not adapt quickly to outside changes, he said. Farmers needed to plan ahead in five year cycles.

Once equipment needed to be replaced there was no money to do so, he added, which is why he left pig production in 2022.

"A lot of the reason we got out of pigs is because the supply chain was getting so broken and so low cost people were not making enough money to reinvest."

What was needed what a "proper reward" for environmental work and food production. "If you leave it to the market, quite frankly food is not going to pay its way."

"Since Brexit and since some other reforms the lack of food production being mentioned in these strategies and packages have been glaringly absent to the extent you think we are just these glorified park keepers," he said.

"Food is fundamental - the environment is too and we genuinely can do both but we have got to be very careful that the money that's available doesn't steer to extremes."

Charles Hesketh, the NFU's East of England regional policy manager, said the PM's assurances were a "step in the right direction" - but warned the industry needed more action and a bigger budget.

"In terms of the food security index reporting - we are pleased to hear this is going to be an annual thing, but what will they do with that information? That is the big question now.

"The prime minister was also keen to keep promising us that the £2.4bn budget is available, and although this is welcome, we need to make sure that £2.4bn is spent.

"This figure was first agreed pre-Brexit, pre-Covid, pre-Ukraine - and to meet the environmental aspirations of the current government and to produce more food we actually need around £4bn.

"So we need an uptick in that budget, and all eyes will be on what election manifestos all the parties will put together."

Tim Logan, senior partner and head of rural affairs at Ellisons Solicitors said despite the prime minister’s comments, many farmers would remain concerned about the government’s commitment to food production and essential funding arrangements to promote this vital aspect.

"Diversification and greening/re-wilding projects have now been within the industry for many years and while these are sensible measures to promote the environment and reduce the carbon footprint, they should remain ancillary to food production, not in place of it," he said.

"The idea of “farm to fork” is a good one, in that it waters down the effect of some of the unscrupulous supermarkets, which pay very little for the produce and then sell it for much more.

"But until farmers are properly rewarded for the cost of the food they produce so that it is profitable.

"It is always going to be a challenging environment for them following the UK’s departure from the EU and free trade agreements with other major countries of the world, who, it appears, may be able to flood the UK market with, in many cases, cheaper, poorer quality produce.”

Glenn Buckingham, chairman of the Suffolk NFU who farms near Debenham, said the pledge to make the Food Security Index annual was "an important step", but added: "What it has not done is set a minimum level of production."

Polling by the NFU showed public sentiment in favour of more food self-sufficiency. "There's therefore a mood to buy British."

The £220m wasn't new money, he added, but "it's just saying let's target these things again'."

Mr Buckingham - who officially became chairman of the Suffolk branch of the NFU at the AGM in Birmingham - said he was"very much up for the challenge of being involved and there is lots to do".

Outgoing NFU president Minette Batters urged government to back British food production.

"The UK and Europe are in grave danger of exporting their production, their standards and their conscience for imports that do not meet those same standards," she said.

"There is a reason why countries invest in food production. It is to mitigate risk and volatility for consumers and give farmers the confidence to keep producing food.

"And yet, we are engaged in a precarious experiment moving money from food production to other areas and reducing certainty that is needed."