The president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), Minette Batters, said 2023 cannot be reflected upon without considering the “unprecedented challenges” faced by the farming community.
In her New Year’s message, Batters said soaring production costs, global turmoil from the Ukraine war, extreme weather and delays to the future of farm payments have all contributed to a difficult 12 months for British farmers.
However, the NFU president said that, amid the adversities, the “incredible successes” in the form of support from the British public and “crucial government policy wins” cannot be overlooked.
“A landmark achievement was the first ever Farm to Fork Summit held at Number 10 this summer – a culmination of over a year’s worth of work and campaigning by the NFU,” Batters said.
“This event secured government commitments to support British farming and protect our domestic food security and concluded with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s recognition that food security should be taken seriously by the government.
“Two key causes for celebration this year are both the Precision Breeding Bill and Equipment Theft Bill receiving Royal Assent, granting farmers greater access to precision breeding tools for their crops and livestock and the government greater powers against equipment theft.
“We campaigned hard on both issues and these bills are important steps forward to help farmers improve their climate-friendly food production and keep their businesses safer from criminals.”
Public support and the younger generation
Batters said it is “heartening” to see the public’s recognition and appreciation for the work farmers do all year long to produce climate friendly food, care for livestock and protect the environment.
“The British public clearly value our farmers and growers, with 82% being in favour of the government setting food security targets, while 84% think food production targets are either as important or more important than the environmental targets we have current legislation for,” she said.
“I cannot thank the public enough for their support; it has been crucial during the turbulence of the past few years.
“And when it comes to the public we have made great strides this year to reach out to the younger generation. Our TikTok account has reached over 1.4 million people, educating and informing them about the important role farming plays for the nation.”
The NFU’s education programme reached more than 500,000 students across the nation in 2023.
Batters said the union’s live lessons outside of the classroom, including Science Farm Live, Harvest Thali and The Lamb Diaries, reached over 360,000 student across 5,000 classrooms.
“Encouraging the younger generation and making agriculture relevant and interesting is such an important job,” she said.
“Every single one of us is impacted by food and farming, and it’s vital that all children, wherever they are in the country, get the opportunity to understand how their food is produced.”
Looking ahead
Batters said she is “extremely mindful” that there is still much progress to be made as the new year approaches.
“Despite the progress made, the government is still a long way behind on its commitments. As a matter of urgency, our national food security must now be embedded into the Sustainable Farming Initiative.
“With 50% of Basic Payment Scheme payments capped, the tapering of payments to 2027 is very concerning for farmers.
“England is the only country in the G20 to be stepping back from a commitment to produce food and the disparity of payment rates between grassland and arable land must be addressed.
“Urgent action is needed if we are to get the uptake needed to deliver Defra’s own legislated environmental ambitions.”
Batters said the NFU has always maintained that food production and delivering more for nature and the environment must be treated as two sides of the same coin.
The union is continuing to call for the government to deliver on its priorities for growth in horticulture as well as focusing on policies to drive productivity investment, supply chain fairness and access to skilled labour.
“While it was brilliant to see Defra’s commitment to building sustainable energy supplies with the recent announcement that horticulture businesses will have access to the Industrial Energy Transformation (IETF) Fund to help cut energy bills, we still seek clarity on support for other energy intensive sectors such as poultry,” she said.
“Our ambitions are clear. Food security must be a top priority for any government and investing in our farming and growing sector is essential for productivity, job creation, and economic and environmental delivery.
“British farmers and growers provide the raw ingredients for the UK’s largest manufacturing sector, British food and drink is worth more than £128 billion to the national economy.
“This new year, let’s build on the momentum of the public’s unwavering support and forge a path towards a resilient and thriving British agricultural sector so we can continue what we do best – producing great British food.”
