Farm to Fork summit returns to Downing Street in May

Prime minister Rishi Sunak will welcome farmers and industry representatives to 10 Downing Street on Tuesday 14 May for the second UK Farm to Fork Summit.

Last year’s event was attended by ministers, NFU officeholders, delegates from trade bodies such as the National Sheep Association, and Clarkson’s Farm star Kaleb Cooper.

A number of government support packages and measures were announced ahead of last year’s summit, including a £1m dairy export programme and 45,000 temporary visas for seasonal workers.

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Tenant Farmers’ Association national chairman Robert Martin has been invited to this year’s event to represent the group’s members.

Mr Martin said: “It is an honour to have been invited to represent the tenanted sector of agriculture.

“It has been such a difficult year for many producers up and down the country.

“This follows the exceptionally wet winter and spring, volatility on international markets and the challenges of pressures within supply chains.

“There is much that the government can do for the farming industry as a whole and for tenant farmers, specifically, to ensure that the resilience of our agricultural sector meets the dual goals of food and environmental security for our country.”

Farmers Weekly will be providing full coverage in the run-up to the summit and of the event itself.