Evidence given to MPs this week by Baroness Minette Batters has underlined the urgent need for government action to address what has been described as growing crisis in farm profitability across the UK.
Baroness Batters, who is a former National Farmers’ Union (NFU) president, appeared before the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) committee on Monday (January 19) to showcase the findings of her Farm Profitability Review, which was released at the end of last year.
The EFRA committee is chaired by Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael, who said the session highlighted both the scale of the challenges facing agriculture and the lack of a long-term vision from the government at this time.
In her evidence, Batters warned that England’s farming sector has two years to turn around its economic model.
She stressed the need for a “major reset” of farm policy and a new long-term roadmap.
“In my opinion, on the evidence I have, we do not have any longer than two years, if we are not going to come up with a new economic model and a new strategy for a long-term farming road map that I would really like,” Batters told MPs.
EFRA
Chair of the committee, Carmichael said the two-year deadline should act as a clear marker for the government.
He argued that years of policy drift have contributed to the current situation facing the English farming industry.
Carmichael stated: “The challenge laid out on delivering a new farming roadmap should be considered a marker for this government.
“There has been a total lack of vision for farming from our governments for many years, which has led to the crisis of profitability in agriculture.”
While acknowledging the scale of the task in such a timeframe, Carmichael said Defra would “have to rise” to the challenge to ensure farming remains viable in the long term.
Divergence
Batters’ review also urged for greater cooperation between the UK and devolved governments, particularly as agricultural policy continues to diverge across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Batters said: “I fear that we are headed for more complexity with the UK four than we had with the 28 EU member states, so we have to make sure this internal market works as well as possible.”
She added that a joint UK-wide plan is especially important in areas such as trade, disease and biosecurity,
Speaking after the EFRA meeting, Carmichael shared these same concerns, saying that while relationships between governments have improved in recent years, policy divergence often appears to be happening “for divergence’s sake.”
“As Baroness Batters outlined, the need for a more collaborative approach between the UK and devolved governments in our food and farming policy could not be clearer at this point.”
He also emphasised that an effectively functioning UK internal market is vital just not for farmers, but for consumers as well.
“It is vital for everyone – including consumers – that the market works effectively across the UK as a whole.”
