What the farming industry wants from new PM Truss

Liz Truss has been chosen by the Conservative Party to replace Boris Johnson as leader.

Former Defra secretary and MP for South West Norfolk Ms Truss was appointed as the new prime minister on Tuesday 6 September at a critical time for British food and farming.

Farmers are facing an increasingly challenging environment in which to produce food for the nation and protect the environment.

Soaring fuel, feed, fertiliser and energy costs, driven by the war in Ukraine, are leaving many UK farmers fearful for the future of their businesses. New measures are desperately needed to ensure their survival.

See also: Australia trade deal will be scrutinised by MPs, says Truss

Farmers will be asking Ms Truss to support British farming by introducing policies that will boost domestic food production and ensure their businesses and livelihoods are not undercut by any cheap food trade deals signed with other countries.

They will also expect Ms Truss and her government to oversee a smooth transition from the CAP to the new Environmental Land Management (ELM) programme in England, and maintain current levels of farm funding across the UK beyond this parliament (currently due to end in 2024).

In this context, Farmers Weekly has asked farming unions and organisations to outline their top-three policy priorities for Ms Truss and her government in relation to food, farming and the environment.

We also asked farmers to tell us their views. Here is how they responded:

NFU

Farm leader Minette Batters says Ms Truss must implement a fully funded, detailed farming policy that delivers for both food production and the environment.

Mrs Batters would like the new prime minister to introduce a legal framework that ensures food production “does not become the poor relation” to everything else while striving to meet targets for rewilding, housing and green energy.

“We need to see a rock-solid commitment from all parties to produce food. For a farmer, that is, first and foremost, the main duty,” says Mrs Batters. “We have also made it very clear that we feel a minimum of 65% of the ELM budget needs to be in the Sustainable Farming Incentive.”

Second, the UK government must ensure it does not export its production and conscience abroad by signing trade agreements with other countries that don’t stick to the same high food and farming standards as ours.

Third, Mrs Batters says access to workers – both seasonal and permanent – is currently not working for every sector, whether dairy, arable, livestock, horticulture, pigs or poultry. Therefore, the goverment’s Seasonal Worker scheme must be “fit for purpose” and not restrict growth.

Tenant Farmers Association

Ms Truss must create sustainable and progressive opportunities for farm tenants through longer-term tenancy agreements, incentivised by the way owners of land are taxed, the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) says.  

The UK government must maintain public support to allow the agricultural industry to meet the dual challenges of producing public goods and correcting market failures within supply chains.

Tenant farmers must not be locked out of participation in new schemes so that landlords can be rewarded with public money by recovering possession and removing land from the let sector, says TFA chief executive George Dunn.  

Third, free-trade deals signed with other countries and the way in which retail and food service supply chains are regulated must enable farmers to operate in a fair-trading environment.

Sustain

The new PM must deliver a nature-friendly and resilient food and farming system that puts healthy soil, abundant nature, diverse and nutritional food, and fairness – for farmers and workers – at its core, according to food and farming alliance Sustain.

Sustain’s head of sustainable farming, Vicki Hird, says the government must commit 100% to implementing the full agricultural transition plan and ratchet up the ambition and budget of the ELM scheme to deliver for climate, nature and food security.

It must also create a land-use framework that is inclusive, and which will deliver on net zero, nature recovery and nutritional food security through delivering sustainable, agroecological farming and nature restoration, she adds.

NFU Scotland

Ms Truss must deliver an “unequivocal commitment” to the importance of food security in the future, NFU Scotland president Martin Kennedy insists.

The government must support domestic food production and ensure its trade policy is fair and does not damage the high standards of UK food and farming.

Unsustainable electricity and fertiliser costs are creating a “crisis of confidence” among farmers. To drive confidence, Mr Kennedy says the government must support and invest in farming.

“The government has committed to support the sector to the end of this parliament, but we need a long-term commitment to invest in farming if this industry and all those reliant on it are to thrive,” he says.

NFU Cymru

Welsh farming union NFU Cymru would like to see a firm commitment from Ms Truss to a multi-annual funding agreement for Welsh farming, which should, as a minimum, honour current funding levels.

NFU Cymru president Aled Jones says Ms Truss must also set out a plan outlining how the government’s trade policy will support the growth agenda in the farming sector amid concerns about the effects future trade deals – and those already agreed with the likes of Australia and New Zealand – will have on domestic farmers.

UK farmers can play a leading role in providing the renewable energy to power a greener Britain, Mr Jones says. But constraints, including access to grid infrastructure, are holding them back from realising that ambition.

Farmers’ Union of Wales

Ms Truss and the UK government must reset international trade policy so that food security is placed at the heart of policymaking, says the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW).

The government must restore good relations on food and energy security with the UK’s nearest neighbouring countries, but also provide financial support to ensure domestic farmers are placed on an equal footing with farmers in the EU.

To underpin the food and farming sectors in Wales, the FUW wants to see the annual budget the Welsh government receives for agriculture from the UK treasury restored to pre-Brexit levels and maintained, as promised in the 2019 UK Conservative Party manifesto.

Ulster Farmers’ Union

The new prime minister and the UK government must give greater consideration to food security, the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) says.

“The UK is 60% self-sufficient in food, but as other countries concentrate on feeding their own population, we need more focus on food security,” says UFU president David Brown.

Rising fuel, feed, fertiliser and energy costs, known as “agflation”, are also placing huge pressure on farming, and sustainability is on every farmer’s mind, adds Mr Brown, insisting there must be fairer payments from retailers to farmers to cover their increasing costs.

The food and farming industry is coming under huge pressure to meet climate targets. But Mr Brown says there must be a baseline to measure any benefits from new green schemes being introduced in Northern Ireland, such as the Soil Nutrient Health scheme.

National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs

A commitment to food production within progressive environmental standards, a concern for food security and support for new entrants and next generation farmers regarding future business opportunities and careers.   

These are the top priorities for young farmers, according to the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC)

Future land use will not be “an easy nut to crack”, but efficiency in production and business viability is “a must”, NFYFC chair of council Ed Dungait says.

“There is of course recognition and appreciation of the environmental ambition and continued discussion with Defra for necessary adjustments to emerging schemes or grants are welcome,” he adds.

“The opportunity to feedback as end-users is essential as we are the generation that will continue to grow food whilst ensuring businesses and environmental viability.”