NFU East Anglia give cautious welcome to government plans for growing food
DEFRA's plan involves, boosting production, investing in skills and innovation- along with putting a greater focus on domestic food security
NFU East Anglia has welcomed the Government's National Food Strategy- but says that more clarity and joined up thinking is needed for local farmers to benefit.
DEFRA's plan involves, boosting production, investing in skills and innovation- along with putting a greater focus on domestic food security.
"We see it as a positive step"
Charles Hesketh is our regions policy manager for the National Farmers Union:
He says action like this is long over-due, but some areas need clarifying:
"It's something that we've been calling on for a long time. If you can believe it or not, it's 70 years since we had the last serious Government Food Strategy. So it's been a big ask of ours and we're delighted that the Government is committing to focus on the importance of food production- we see it as a positive step".
"One of the headline proposals is around glass-house production, which we are currently 15% self-sufficient in. There's a lot of focus in the paper around improving that, which we're very much capable of, we have a fantastic maritime climate around here and we have some great businesses ready to go, along with good clean-water. However, we also have a real problem with seasonal labour over here- which is preventing the sector from growing- so we just need to get a bit more joined up thinking".
"I think a little bit of work is needed still to get that confidence"
He says it's boosting our farmers confidence in the sectors new grant-scheme- being phased in after Brexit, but admit that there's still work to do:
"I don't think the confidence is quite there's yet with our farmers- there's a lot of concern about how these new support payment methods are going to translate to income on the ground for our farmers and growers. I think a little bit of work is needed still to get that confidence, but I feel the new schemes are really going to help our farmers as the area-based payments are phased out".
"We are hearing some good noises about the allocation within the environmental land-management funds, that have been put towards SFI - which is the first level of the Sustainable Farming Incentive- more money being put towards that is only going to go further toward reaching our environmental aims as well as our food production aims".
The strategy also includes plans to:
· Consult on an ambition for 50% of public sector expenditure on food procurement to be on food either produced locally or to higher standards
· Incentivise the sector to use surplus heat and CO2 from industrial processes, and renewable sources of energy to increase domestic horticultural production
· Launch an independent review to tackle labour shortages in the food supply chain, to look at the roles of automation, domestic labour and migration to ensure UK businesses can access the labour they require
· Consult on how to improve on and expand animal welfare labelling, to help consumers identify when products meet or exceed our high UK animal welfare standards
· Extend the Seasonal Workers visa route to poultry, following a successful pilot last year
· Publish a framework for land use in England next year
· Consult on food waste reporting for larger businesses over a certain size
· Publish a statement setting out requirements for those wishing to access the UK market to objectively demonstrate they deliver an equivalent level of health protection to our high domestic standards
· Explore how to make the most of innovative feed additives that can reduce methane emissions from livestock, to support sustainable farming
· Launch a new partnership between the public and private sector to provide consumers with more information about the food they eat while incentivising industry to produce healthier, more ethical and sustainable goods