Farmers in the East 'just really need help' as they struggle to afford red diesel
Farmers are facing rising costs, which could result in less food for consumption
Last updated 4th Apr 2022
Farmers in the East are calling on the Government to postpone payments and bolster domestic fertiliser production to help local businesses weather rising production costs.
It's understood the price of red diesel has doubled since last year. While the price of chemical plant food has almost tripled, largely owing to the conflict in Ukraine
This also means that local farm businesses and long-term domestic food production could be at risk unless famers are given more support to tackle rising production costs.
This is according to NFU East Anglia, who says many in the East are suffering from the prices of fuel and food plant-stuff doubling and quadrupling,
We spoke to Charles Hesketh is from NFU East Anglia: A "good example with fertilizer is this time last year you'd pay around £250 or ton at the moment, If you can get it because lead time is huge, you're about £1000 or ton.
"In addition, of course the red diesel prices are pretty much double from where they were this time last year.
"So the effect is that those costs are being incurred now by our farmers.
"They're having to incur these costs right now for a crop which they're not going to be able to harvest until the autumn to receive payment for.
"At the moment there's a massive squeeze on farmers... and they're really worried about their cash flow going forward."
We asked what impact this could have on farming: "If you look at the importance of our country's food security, domestic production, (and) ensuring that we can feed the nation, that's what's really worrying at the moment.
"We want to keep being about 60% self sufficient, were capable of being more self sufficient for that in food.
"But if things continue at this rate, we'll just see that dropping or just rely more and more on imports from overseas."
We also asked Charles what he would like to see the government doing moving forward, in order to help farmers: "One of the things we're calling on is for our area based payments to be postponed at the moment.
"We're at stage where area based payments are due to be phased out over the next few years in favour of the new different grants and schemes.
"But what one thing we're calling on explicitly postponed for the time being because of that, because of the crisis were in to help support farm businesses through this turbulent period.
"But we also want, really just support to help increase or maintain domestic fertilizer production.
"At the moment we do import most of it, but we are capable of producing it here in the UK."
Charles Hesketh explained what was contributing to these rising costs: "It's it's very intrinsically linked to the current gas prices, which of course is putting off a lot of manufacturers on producing it because it's so expensive to produce.
"So really we want government to help support this through subsidies, grant schemes, whatever it takes really just to make sure that is available for our farmers.
"The impact this is having on farmers isn't just about the impact on produce, but it is impacting their wellbeing.
"I think we've been feeling let down for a little while.
"Actually I think often farmers feel they're forgotten about.
"There's a few things (that) have happened such as the various different free trade agreement deals we've had with New Zealand, Australia where it's doesn't really help our industry at all.
"So the moment you know we do feel a bit let down by the government.
"In Italy the the current escalation of prices is linked to the Ukraine crisis which we didn't anticipate coming up and we're aware of that.
"But at the moment, we're at a point now where we do really need the government to to show they're serious about supporting British agriculture.
"We really need, serious financial support and clear food strategy for what this government wants British agriculture to look like in the future and how it's going to support it.
"And I think with the right support measures we can keep moving in that direction.
" It's just these next couple of years in particular we just, really need help because it's really serious on farm... We just we just need help at the moment. "