NFU meets farming minster at Great Yorkshire Show to push for firm commitments

They were joined by Yorkshire farmers and NFU members in a roundtable discussion where senior officeholders put questions to the minster to discuss the state of the industry and plans for growth.

With recent government changes in policy the NFU reminded the minister of the many benefits farming provides in terms of food production, to jobs, the environment and communities and made it clear how support and investment in the sector will ensure this continues.

Other key topics discussed including support for upland farmers, clarification on the future of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) – the government’s flagship environmental support scheme for agriculture and other current challenges.

The importance of water for food production and abstraction was also high on the agenda given the current drought affecting farmers and growers across the region and further afield.

NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “The conversation was positive, and it was good to hear that there is a will to work collaboratively, which was welcomed by all the farmers attending the meeting.

“We all recognise the problems, and we have put forward the solutions.

“Let’s increase the confidence of our farmers by giving them the support they need right now.

“We are proud to produce British home-grown food and care for our beautiful countryside, but we need the confidence that government supports our farmers and growers too.”

Official figures reveal that farming contributes more than £3.4 billion to the Yorkshire economy and rural tourism and provides more than 30,000 jobs in the county.

The NFU welcomed a report launched yesterday by the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire David Skaith which highlighted key challenges facing Yorkshire farmers and rural businesses and how the mayor is supporting them.

The report has identified that 52% of county farms do not make a profit and proposed changes to inheritance tax (IHT) could increase the proportion of farms with an unsustainable profit to 61% even with tax planning and to 73% if businesses don’t seek advice.

The NFU and other industry bodies have put forward an alternative to the government’s planned changes to inheritance tax suggesting a ‘clawback’ proposal which meets the government’s aim of raising revenue, avoids penalising elderly farm owners, breaking up family farms and stifling investment in farm businesses.

This also takes away the incentive to use Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) solely as a way of avoiding tax.

Other key asks included for politicians to deliver fairness in the supply chain and to bring forward legislation as soon as possible to ensure at least half of all food purchased across the public sector is produced locally.

Helping Yorkshire farmers overcome issues around accessing labour and mitigating against extreme weather, improved market transparency and fairness and the need for more police resources to tackle rural crime, are among some of the other key asks currently being pushed by the NFU.