Long-time food security campaigner Dr Neil Hudson MP was invited by the Prime Minister to attend the Government’s Farm to Fork Summit where he championed the Conservative Government's suite of new announcements to bolster the British agri-food sector.
Dr Hudson is a Veterinary Surgeon, a Member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee and represents England's largest rural constituency so is at the forefront of national agri-food policy and was invited to the prestigious UK Farm to Fork Summit at 10 Downing Street. In recent months Dr Hudson has also made a wide-ranging speech on food security during a major debate, chaired a select committee session on British agriculture in trade deals, and sat on an expert panel for policy makers.
Dr Hudson was instrumental in instigating an EFRA Inquiry into food security and publishing a report which made recommendations to Government on policy improvements. One such recommendation was the implementation of a UK Annual Food Security Index, which will allow the government, industry and farmers to monitor the impacts of external factors, such as Russia’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine or extreme adverse weather events.
Government, enacted its first index alongside today's Summit which sets out how Government will track UK-wide food security on an annual basis, monitoring domestic food production, land use, input costs and farmer productivity. This year’s index will show that the UK farming sector is at its most productive since records began. The publication of this recommendation by Dr Hudson was well received by industry professionals and legislators alike.
With the Index identifying UK fruit and vegetable production as an area of improvement, the Prime Minister announced its Blueprint for Growing UK Fruit and Vegetable Sector - including a new Horticulture Resilience and Growth offer which will look to double the amount of funding given to horticulture businesses compared to the current scheme, taking it to £80m per year. And the Prime Minister is launching a review into the barriers the horticulture sector is facing to upscale their businesses, including promising to cut red tape around the building of glasshouses. A further £15m will be invested into Genetic Improvement Networks to help boost access to more resilient crop varieties that require fewer inputs and cut farmer costs.
The Government has also responded to the Shropshire Review, ensuring that the domestic farming sector has the labour it needs, and the funding to support greater automation. This includes extending the seasonal visa route for five years and agreeing a taper for this period with industry, supporting the transition away from migrant workers with a planned £50 million package on packhouse automation funding.
The Conservative Government is also supporting farmers to get a fair price for their products, by announcing the next steps in the supply chain reviews for eggs, fresh produce and pigs. In all three sectors the Government will introduce legislation to enhance fairness and transparency.
The Conservative Government is also providing grants of between £500 and £25,000 to farmers affected by exceptional flooding due to Storm Henk. It is also putting in place flexibility through temporary adjustments to agreements in Sustainable Farming Incentives (SFI)and Countryside Stewardship so farmers who have been unable to carry out requirements do not miss out on income in the transition from the EU Basic Payment Scheme to SFI
Attended by national agri-food leaders, Dr Hudson met with a host of stakeholders including NFU President Tom Bradshaw; major food producers such as Arla; leading rural charity bosses including Barfoots, Soil Association and RABI; local shepherdess and bestselling author Hannah Jackson; Cumbrian regenerative farming pioneer James Robinson; as well as senior Ministers and DEFRA officials.
Dr Neil Hudson MP said:
"Farmers up and down the land work around the clock in all seasons to put food on our plates and look after the land we live on. They are the lifeblood of our rural communities, so I was delighted to hear that the Prime Minister accepted a suite of our recommendations to back our brilliant British farmers and champion all they do for the nation.
"Moreover, given acute international episodes such as Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine, Red Sea supply chain disruptions and extreme weather events, we must reaffirm that food security is national security.
"Having triggered our EFRA report on food security, which spanned many months and heard from expert witnesses, I was really pleased to see the Prime Minister himself back our recommendations. Specifically, I welcome the appointment of a Tenant Farming Commissioner who will be able to amplify the sometimes-overlooked voices of tenant farmers to the heart of Government; I was delighted with the announcement of up to £3 million for small and mobile abattoirs; and given the threats of infectious diseases I welcome the PM's £72 million boost to animal disease schemes.
"Frankly it is hard to list all the vital improvements to Government policy - from helping frequently flooded farms and addressing seasonal labour concerns in horticulture, to improving supply chain resilience and making sure farmers get a fair price for their produce. This is a testament to the comprehensive array of measures announced today and will make sure the nation is well-fed with nutritious, affordable and ideally homegrown food."
Other announcements from the Summit include:
· Up to £3 million towards supporting small and mobile abattoirs to support British farmers.
· Delivering on a commitment we made in our response to the Rock Review into tenant farming and following a call for evidence, confirming that we will appoint a Commissioner for the Tenant Farming Sector (CTFS) this autumn.
· A £72m fund to the Endemics Diseases Scheme, which will help eradicate bovine viral diarrhoea in cattle, control porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome in pigs and tackle a range of different health conditions in sheep.
· A £22m infrastructure grant for laying hens to help poultry farmers to improve the health, welfare and productivity of their flocks.
Last week, the Environment Secretary announced planned automation funding of up to £50m for farmers, alongside an extension to the seasonal visa route for the next five years to ensure the sector has the labour needed while technology is integrated into packhouses and harvesting processes.
That followed the Prime Minister’s announcement at the National Farmers Union annual conference that the government would open the largest ever grant offer for farmers this year, expected to total £427m, including an unprecedented package of funding for technology and productivity schemes.
He told the conference that £220m would be injected into future-focused technology and productivity schemes to ensure farmers can access new equipment, including kit which increases automation to reduce reliance on overseas workers.
