Spiraling costs are forcing Britain’s farmers to make significant changes to their food production plans, with some facing the prospect of going out of business, according to a new survey of farmers’ intentions by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU).
The survey reveals that a third of arable farmers have made changes to their cropping plans in the last four months, which 90% of growers attribute to rocketing fertiliser costs.
The survey also indicates that farmers are beginning to switch from growing milling wheat for bread to feed wheat for animals, because it has a lower fertiliser requirement.
A survey of dairy farmers shows that 7% of producers believe they are likely to stop producing milk by 2024, which nationally could mean 840 producers leaving the industry.
Over the next two years, dairy farmers were most concerned about prices of feed (93%), fuel (91%), energy (89%) and fertiliser (88%).
These spiraling costs are denting farmers’ confidence to invest. With the importance of food production recognised in the government Food Strategy, the NFU is now asking government to put these words into action by introducing a statutory duty for ministers to assess the impact any new policy or regulation will have on domestic food production.
NFU president Minette Batters said:
“We have some of the world’s best farmers who are passionate about growing a plentiful supply of food, produced to world leading standards of animal welfare, environmental protection and sustainability.
“Britain’s climate is perfect for growing and farming a diverse range of food. It’s more important than ever that we all value that and don’t take it for granted.
“However, costs are rising rapidly on farms across the country and across all sectors.
“It’s already having an impact on the food that we are producing as a nation as well as leading to a crisis of confidence among Britain’s farmers.
“These survey results clearly set out what we have to lose if nothing is done.
“It’s incredibly positive that the government now recognises in its Food Strategy how important British food production is for the nation and its resilience.
“We now need to see this embedded across government business, with a new statutory duty for ministers to consider how any new policy will impact on food production.
