There is a “shared recognition” across UK farming groups that cereal and arable producers need “practical, clear policies that support productivity and resilience”.
That’s according to Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) deputy president Glenn Cuddy.
He made the comment after UFU hosted the UK Farming Unions Crops Meeting on Tuesday (June 2), bringing together the four farming unions.
Chaired by Cuddy, the meeting was attended by policy executives and crop chairs from the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), NFU Scotland, NFU Cymru, the British Agriculture Bureau, and UFU seeds and cereals policy chair Richard Orr.
This meeting was timed to coincide with Arable NI 2026, a new arable event taking place today (Wednesday, June 3), at Tom Wells’ farm near Moira, Co. Down.
Organised jointly by UFU, the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) and the Ulster Arable Society, the event is intended to bring together growers, researchers, advisers and industry stakeholders to showcase the latest developments in crop production, machinery, technology and research.
Key issues
Discussions at the UK crops meeting focused on a number of key issues currently affecting growers.
These included the UK Farm Assurance Review; EU-UK Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures negotiations; glyphosate and NGO activity relating to plant protection products.
The delegates also covered the Voluntary Initiative and the National Register of Sprayer Operators (NRoSO): the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) Digital Grain Passport; and fair dealing within the supply chain.
UFU deputy president Glenn Cuddy said: “It was a privilege to meet with our colleagues from across the UK in Northern Ireland.
“The arable sector continues to face significant challenges, from rising input costs and market volatility to increasing regulatory pressures.
“While the issues may vary across regions, there is a shared recognition that cereal and arable producers need practical, clear policies that support productivity and resilience.
“Meetings such as this allow us to share experiences, identify common priorities and strengthen our voice on behalf of growers.”
The UFU said the meeting “reinforced the importance of continued collaboration between the four farming unions as the sector navigates a challenging economy, with concerns remaining high around fertiliser, fuel and global instability”.