Former National Farmers’ Union (NFU) president and farmer, Baroness Minette Batters, has been appointed to lead a review of farm profitability instigated by the government.
The new appointment by secretary of state for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed, will see Batters providing recommendations on farm profitability both to the secretary and the farming minister Daniel Zeichner.
The Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) said Batters would provide short, medium, and long-term recommendations, and propose actions for the government and industry aimed at supporting farming profitability.
Defra said the work will be supported by its new profitability unit.
Baroness Batters said: “I will leave no stone unturned in trying to find solutions to boost farm profitability. But we should be under no illusions how difficult this work will be.
“There will not be one ‘silver bullet’ to fire, but I’m hopeful this review can make a difference to a sector that produces the nation’s food, underpins the rural economy, and delivers so much for the environment.”
Defra said the review will also help the development of the food strategy, farming roadmap, and Land Use Framework.
The government said the appointment of Batters is one of a number of actions it is taking to improve the profitability of farmers.
Secretary Reed said: “Backing British farmers is the backbone of all work to support rural economic growth and boost Britain’s food security.
“We have taken strong action to protect the future of the sector with the New Deal for Farmers. But we must go further and faster as part of our Plan for Change to put money into the pockets of farmers and drive growth.”
Batters joined the NFU when she started farming, and rose to be county chair and a member of several NFU committees.
She was elected president of the union from 2018 to 2024, the first female president in its history.
She was brought up on a tenanted family farm in Wiltshire. which she now runs. It is mixed farming business with a 100-cow continental cross suckler herd, as well as sheep and arable.
