NFU calls for food targets to reverse declining production trends in Mansfield and Ashfield
An report by the National Farmers Union (NFU) has called for ambitious targets to safeguard food production on farms around Mansfield and Ashfield and further afield 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 the 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 per cent while export volumes have stalled.
Survey results show that 93 per cent of households agree that it’s important to maintain or increase UK food self-sufficiency.
The NFU says it is offering the 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.
This comes at a time when the worst drought in 50 years is set to cost wheat growers £370m, 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 per cent in England, helping power the UK's largest manufacturing sector, food and drink, worth £162.3bn and supporting 4.1m jobs.
Tom Bradshaw, NFU president, 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.
"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 Nottinghamshire and across the region, added: “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.
He said: "Clearly defined targets for food production and a set of core standards are the start.
"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.