The NFU is using its annual conference today to call on the government to reset its approach to British food and farming, starting with a renewed commitment to the nation's food producers. NFU President Tom Bradshaw, delivering his first opening address at the conference in Westminster, will highlight the challenges farmers face, including a cashflow crisis, a flawed agricultural transition, and declining business confidence, all exacerbated by the Chancellor's recent Budget.
Bradshaw will stress that the NFU is focused on solutions. Last week, the union proposed an alternative to the controversial family farm tax, a policy that he describes as both morally and economically wrong. The Treasury, however, rejected the proposal outright. He warns that the tax threatens tenant farmers, those who have recently bought farms, and the next generation of farmers while creating financial hardship for elderly farmers who have relied on their land as their pension. He argues that the Chancellor's claim that 73 percent of farmers will be unaffected has been debunked by agricultural valuers, the CBI, and even Labour's own tax advisers. He also notes that major supermarkets, opposition parties, and principled Labour MPs have all called for a pause and consultation. He emphasizes that the NFU will continue to fight the tax until ministers reconsider. Only then can the focus shift to other pressing issues.
Bradshaw warns that confidence in the farming sector has reached an all-time low. Farmers are struggling with bad policy, global instability, and extreme weather, with many uncertain how they will survive until the end of 2025. He points out that the Environmental Land Management (ELM) system is failing, with many farmers still unable to access the Sustainable Farming Incentive. The NFU is urging Defra to increase Higher Level Stewardship payments, publish the full ELMs offer, and provide transparency on its progress. With growing geopolitical tensions and climate change threats, Bradshaw insists that food security must be a priority, as the government had promised before the election.
Today, the NFU is launching its Blueprints for Growth, a policy vision to support sustainable, profitable farms while protecting the countryside and ensuring food security for 70 million Britons. Bradshaw notes that collaboration between the NFU and the government has delivered key wins in the past year, including a £60 million flood recovery fund, 45,000 seasonal worker visas for 2025, stronger labeling rules for eggs during avian flu outbreaks, and legislation to tackle livestock worrying and equipment theft. Additionally, food security reporting is now a legal requirement, fairer contracts for dairy farmers are in progress, and seven major retailers have added "buy British" buttons to their websites. Nearly 500,000 students have engaged with farming education through NFU initiatives.
Despite these achievements, Bradshaw insists there is much more to do. He calls on the government to reset its relationship with farming and rural Britain, as Sir Keir Starmer promised in 2023. He concludes that if ministers work with the NFU to implement these blueprints and reverse the family farm tax, the future of British farming will be much brighter.
For more information:
Jo Rector
NFU
Tel: +44 02476 858 686
Email: jo.rector@nfu.org.uk
www.nfuonline.com