I noticed that Defra Secretary Michael Gove was wearing what looked like an ear of wheat in the lapel of his suit jacket on the day he launched the new Agriculture Bill.
This led me to thinking that production agriculture was in for a ‘good day at the office’, given what might be coming down the track. But alas, no.
From what I can see, there is very little of a positive nature that farmers committed to the production of high-quality food can take from the latest Whitehall perspectives on the direction their industry must take post-Brexit.
The new bill seems to overlook the fundamental reality that British agriculture must remain economically viable if it is to have any form of viable future.
In essence, farmers cannot invest in the environment and conservation measures if they are up to their ears in debt.
The real driving force behind farm sustainability should be the consistent availability of realistic food prices.
This is not the case at the moment because the government has failed to tackle the ever-growing influence of the supermarkets within the farming and food production chain.
It seems then that the UK authorities are more than happy to continue with a cheap food policy while leaving farmers to pick up the can for it all.
The only realistic response to this set of circumstances is for policymakers to ensure that farmers receive a realistic support package. But to-date, Michael Gove has been extremely circumspect on this particular issue.
Adding to farmers’ current frustrations is the lack of any specific reference to their industry within the Chancellor’s 2018 Budget speech. By common consent, agriculture is the industry that will be most directly affected by Brexit.
Yet Government seems to have made no realistic, economic provision for the long-term prospects of farming, as it faces up to the absolute uncertainty which the schism from the European Union poses.
Meanwhile, Michael Gove continues to wax lyrical about the need to improve water, soil and air quality while also stressing the need for farmers to plant more trees and engage in new and ever more exotic environmental measures.
All of this will, no doubt, come as great news for the plethora of conservation groups that have managed to paint a wholly inaccurate picture of the way UK farmers go about their business.
More worryingly, it is these same organisations that seem to have the ear of government when it comes to the formulation of agricultural support policies in the UK. This, in turn, raises the issue of what exactly the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) is doing to communicate the real needs of farmers in Britain today.
Recent years have shown that British producers can respond in full to the needs of consumers when given fair playing fields to operate on. The growth of the free-range egg, chicken and organic pork sectors is ample evidence of this welcome trend.
But farmers cannot face into the future with one arm tied behind their backs. They need to be assured of a marketplace that gives them a viable return and/or access to support measures that will provide for their continuing sustainability. And it’s up to the NFU to make this case in the strongest possible terms!
