Tag Archives: politics

Food industry petitions government ahead of Brexit

The British Retail Consortium (BRC), the National Farmers Union of England and Wales (NFU) and the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), has issued a joint statement to Government officials highlighting its core objectives and priorities for UK trade policy ahead of Prime Minister Theresa May triggering Article 50 to leave the European Union on 29 March.

In the statement, the signatories said, ‘The UK’s food supply chain – farmers, food and drink manufacturers and retailers – keeps the nation fed, ensuring consumers have access to a wide range of nutritional, quality foods at affordable prices. As the process of leaving the EU develops, the food supply chain will work together to ensure that our consumers continue to enjoy great quality, choice and value.

‘The UK food supply chain employs 3.9m people from farming through manufacturing to retail and food service and generates £108bn in value.’

Amongst their demands, was a call to ensure ‘a smooth and orderly Brexit by agreeing transitional arrangements that maintain frictionless trade in goods between the UK and the EU, avoiding costly and disruptive customs checks, processes and procedures.’ They also said there the UK should secure its fair share of any tariff rate quotas for agricultural imports and any preferential access for UK food and drink exports.

Photo Credit: Public Domain Pictures.

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Farmer confidence higher for next year

A new survey by the NFU has revealed an increase in farmer confidence in the dairy and livestock sectors over the last year, but confidence has fallen in the horticulture and poultry sectors. The NFU says there are serious concerns about labour shortages in the future and increase of the National Living Wage.

Members told the NFU, as part of its seventh annual farmer confidence survey, they anticipated positive effects on their business from the consumption levels of British produce (58%) and output prices (46%). However, farmers feel that input prices will have the most widespread negative impact for the coming year (74% negative), followed by regulation and legislation (53% negative).

Mr Raymond commented: “The NFU has made it clear that for farming to have a profitable and productive future we need reassurance on key issues resulting from Brexit; such as access to a competent and reliable workforce and the best possible access to the Single Market.

“British farming is the bedrock of the UK’s largest manufacturing sector – food and drink. The sector is worth £108 billion to the nation’s economy and employs some 3.9 million people. We urge Government, retailers and the public to back British farming so we can continue to produce high quality produce for the nation.”

The post Farmer confidence higher for next year appeared first on Hort News on 21 December 2016.

House of Lords warns of risk to farm support from Brexit

During a debate on the potential impacts of leaving the European Union on farm support in the UK, the House of Lords may leave farmers and growers lacking the support of their European competitors.

The debate was called by Conservative Baroness Anne McIntosh, a former shadow minister for environment, food and rural affairs and former chair of the EFRA Committee. She called on the government to reassure farmers in agri-environment schemes which are due to end prior to the conclusion of formal Brexit negotiations. She also raised the issue of the requirement for large numbers of season workers in areas such as horticulture.

Conservative Lord DeMauley, a former Defra minister and farmer, said, “It is surely unlikely that her majesty’s treasury, once it’s given back the ability to decide how UK taxpayers’ money is spent, will maintain the basic farm payment at anything like its current level.”

Lib Dem Lord Thomas of Gresford pointed out that comments made by Defra minster George Eustice at the Royal Welsh Show, when he said he could not guarantee that future agricultural support programmes would be as generous as support under the CAP, were contrary to assurances he had given during the Brexit campaign when Mr Eustice promised farmers would receive at least as much support funding as they currently do.

Photo Caption: Defra minister George Eustice MP was criticised for back tracking on his promise to maintain support for UK farmers.

Photo Credit: George Eustice

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Russia to extend produce ban through 2017

According to reports carried by Reuters and other news agencies, Russia is preparing to extend its ban on the importation of fresh produce from the European Union and other countries throughout 2017.

Russia’s Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachev told reporters that the country does not plan to expand the list of banned products, but Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev has already ordered ministers to draft proposals to extend the ban to the end of 2017.

“This is great news for the domestic agriculture producers. This (the extension) allows them to plan investments in the industry, to increase the quality and competitiveness of Russian food,” Tkachev added.

The ban, which includes produce from the US, Canada, Australia and Norway was first introduced in 2014 in retaliation against sanctions imposed against Russia over its involvement in Ukraine.

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Cameron commits to supporting farmers post Brexit

Prime Minister David Cameron has responded to a letter from CLA President Ross Murray which called for Government to outline a Plan B for farming in the case of a Brexit vote in June.

Although underlining that he thought that staying within the EU would best serve farmers’ interests and provide the greatest access to market, Mr Cameron pledged, “As long as I am prime minister, I would make sure that an agricultural support system would be properly maintained. However, I can obviously not make the same guarantees for future governments.

‘It is unclear, for example, where some of my opponents, including Jeremy Corbyn, stand on the issue. We should remember that previous Labour governments have been in favour of either reducing key agricultural subsidies or abolishing them altogether.’

CLA President Ross Murray commented, “The Prime Minister is a clear and passionate advocate of the case for remain. He is making the case that farmers that want greater certainty can play their part by voting for remain in the referendum. We respect his arguments and many farmers will agree with him. We also respect the speed with which he has responded to us.”

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

The post Cameron commits to supporting farmers post Brexit appeared first on Hort News on 22 April 2016.

HTA and NFU set out Brexit positions

The National Farmers Union (NFU) and Horticultural Trades Association have set out their positions ahead of the UK’s referendum on whether to remain in the European Union.

After what it described as ‘a full consultation with all members’ in March the HTA has declared a neutral position. After attracting responses from 169 members (around 12 per cent of the total), there was no majority in favour of any of the three proposals (leaving, staying and remaining neutral) and based on that HTA will remain neutral.

HTA Chief Executive Carol Paris comments, “From the good response rate to our survey and comments sent members are interested in the EU referendum and its impact. With views across the spectrum adopting a neutral position ensures that the HTA doesn’t alienate the views of members. Working with other organisations we will endeavour to provide a balanced picture of the pros and cons in the lead up to the vote on 23 June.”

In contrast the NFU has joined other UK Farming Unions in saying that it believed the industry would be better served if the UK remained in the EU. In a statement it said, ‘The NFU recognises and respects the diversity of views among its membership. The NFU’s position is based solely on an evaluation of the agricultural merits of the case and the NFU is fully aware there are many wider issues at stake. The NFU will not be actively campaigning in the referendum; it will not be joining with any campaign groups and it will not, in any circumstances, advise its members how to vote.’

In an interview NFU president Meurig Raymond said, “We believe it’s for the betterment of the future of British agriculture. On all the surveys we have done in the NFU, the majority believe that we should stay in.”

However, in a poll of 350 farmers alongside Farming Online news articles in February, 50% of respondents favoured leaving the EU, whilst 34% said they would choose to remain.

Photo Credit: HTA

The post HTA and NFU set out Brexit positions appeared first on Hort News on 22 April 2016.

Another warning about Brexit and farming

The future of many UK farming businesses looks uncertain, according to a new report on the agricultural implications of leaving the EU by a University of Warwick academic.

In the report, Professor Wyn Grant of the University of Warwick and the Farmer-Scientist Network, considers topics including the impact on the single farm payment, regulation, plant protection, world trade, animal health and welfare and migrant labour.

Commissioned by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, which hosts the Network, it aims to inform and promote debate to highlight the issues which could potentially shape British agriculture.

Speaking in advance of the report’s publication on Thursday 4 February, Professor Grant said it was hard to see any advantage to British farmers in leaving the EU. In the event of a “yes” vote, the lack of contingency planning by the Government would inevitably lead to a period of great uncertainty, for at least two years, as the new regime took shape, making medium and long term planning for farmers extremely difficult, he said: “There is a perception in the industry that leaving the EU would reduce the burden of regulation. I do not think there will be a bonfire of regulations as the problem is not just from Brussels but from gold-plating by London. There are legal complexities which have not been considered.”

Nigel Pulling Chief Executive of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society commented, “While there is some dissatisfaction with Europe there is at least certainty. What this report has highlighted is the complexity of the number of different issues we are facing, but the Government hasn’t filled in any of the blanks.”

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

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Farming Recovery Fund extended to all parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire

Further to Environment Secretary Liz Truss’s announcement about compensation for farmers affected by Storm Eva flooding in Yorkshire and Lancashire on 31 December, Defra has now announced that the Farming Recovery Fund has been extended to all parts of both Lancashire and Yorkshire.

The Farming Recovery Fund, originally launched to help farmers hit by Storm Desmond in Cumbria, Northumberland and parts of Lancashire, will now be extended to farmers in all the areas affected by storms over Christmas and Boxing Day. The Farming Recovery Fund also covers farmers in Durham hit by Storm Desmond or Storm Eva.

Farmers suffering from uninsurable losses can apply for Farming Recovery Fund grants of up to £20,000 via the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) to help restore soils, rebuild tracks and repair flood channels.

Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss said, “We remain committed to providing practical support to those farmers affected. That is why I am pleased to announce we will be extending the Farming Recovery Fund to help cover short-term uninsured recovery costs such as, repairing damaged soils, tracks and flood channels.

The deadline for applications has now been extended from 18 March 2016 to 1 April 2016 to allow farmers in the newly affected areas time to apply.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

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Could Defra be abolished after election?

Fears that continued spending cuts after the election could see Defra abolished as a government department in its own right have been downplayed by the Conservatives.

Concerns were raised when agriculture was included in a sub-section of the Tory election manifesto, rather than having its own section, leaving some commentators to wonder if food and agricultural policy could fall under the remit of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Defra secretary Liz Truss, who is seeking re-election as Conservative MP for south-west Norfolk, told Farmers Weekly, “What is important about our manifesto is that we’ve put agriculture at the heart of the economy and jobs section. We firmly believe that food and farming has huge potential. It is a very important part of our economy and worth £100bn and accounts for one in eight jobs. There will always be a strong part of the UK government that looks after farming.”

She added that the work that Defra does is vital, but many farmers and growers still have concerns after Labour’s Margaret Beckett merged the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) with parts of the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions and the Home Office in June 2001 following the food and mouth crisis.

The post Could Defra be abolished after election? appeared first on Hort News on 28 April 2015.