NFU calls for food targets to reverse declining production trends across Lincolnshire

An NFU report calls for ambitious targets to safeguard Lincolnshire food production following a decline across the county and wider country.

To turn the tide and secure a future for British food production and county farms, the NFU is calling on government to set ambitious targets for homegrown food.

Self-sufficiency in 10 out of 11 everyday foods, such as wheat, vegetables, beef, poultry meat and eggs have fallen over the last 30 years as the country's reliance on imported food continues to grow.

Agri-food import volumes across the county and wider country are up 70% while export volumes have stalled.

Survey results show that 93% of households agree that it’s important to maintain or increase UK food self-sufficiency.

On Back British Farming Day today (9 September) – the day the country celebrates our food producers – the NFU is offering government a clear alternative and a route away from a growing food security crisis in its Ready to Grow report.

The report underlines the need for action to ensure farmers can meet the public’s demand, as it shows that much of Britain’s food is being produced at a loss:

• 65% of wheat and barley grown on cereal farms came from farm businesses operating at loss.

• On lowland livestock farms, only 26% of some sheep products came from profitable farm groups.

This comes at a time when the worst drought in 50 years is set to cost wheat growers £370 million, while the UK's largest-ever bluetongue outbreak and soaring fuel, fertiliser and energy costs linked to the conflict in Iran are pushing farm finances to breaking point.

Despite this, agriculture continues to deliver for the economy. Gross value added (GVA) has risen by 57% in England, helping power the UK's largest manufacturing sector, food and drink, worth £162.3 billion and supporting 4.1 million jobs.

Lincolnshire farm businesses are ready to meet growing consumer demand, boost self-sufficiency and drive further growth, but considerable barriers are holding them back.

NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “Our report paints a stark picture of falling production and an increasing reliance on imported food while at the same time the world is becoming more unstable. We can’t rely on the rest of the world to feed us.

“Successive governments have sleepwalked into making it harder to produce food at home, leaving Britain increasingly reliant on imports produced to standards that would be illegal here. The food scare in eggs in recent days is a tragic reminder of what happens when we get this wrong.

"This, coupled with policy changes, means UK agriculture receives less government support than farmers in the EU, US, Canada and New Zealand, and less than half the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) average.

“Farmers are battling devastating drought, disease outbreaks and soaring costs. At the same time, policy uncertainty, chronic underinvestment and a restrictive planning system are eroding Britain’s ability to produce its own food. This must and can be reversed."

Farmer Jane Bassett, NFU regional board chair who represents farmers in the county and wider region, echoed his comments and said despite the pressures farmers continued to deliver jobs, growth and food, while playing a crucial role in supporting rural communities, as their firefighting efforts this summer had shown.

She said: "Back British Farming Day is being celebrated across the county with events all week and is a really good opportunity to put the focus on what we do and our role in food security, the rural economy and countryside stewardship.

“We also have the chance to thank shoppers for backing us and buying British food where possible, alongside building support among MPs and policymakers for farming-related and rural issues.

“We want to drive resilient, thriving farms and rural communities and continue to put food on people’s plates.

“In today’s uncertain world we need to ensure we secure homegrown food production as a priority.”

Mr Bradshaw added that with the right backing farmers and growers could do even more.

"Clearly defined targets for food production and a set of core standards are the start," he said.

"A planning system that enables growth and a tax system that recognises the need to invest are crucial.

“We want to work with Defra’s Farming and Food Partnership Board to build a competitive sector, one that realises its ambitions and unlocks growth in every part of the country.

"This matters today on Back British Farming Day, and it matters for tomorrow and the 29 million households needing affordable, safe food.”