Environment Secretary Steve Reed outlined the Government’s long-term vision for farming on 9 January, focusing on boosting profitability and increasing earnings for British farmers.
Addressing farmers and landowners at the Oxford Farming Conference, Reed will detail plans to collaborate with the sector to create a thriving farming industry and drive rural economic growth, according to a press release. Central to the vision is a firm commitment to food security, alongside reforms aimed at helping farmers diversify their income sources to better withstand challenges like poor harvests.
As part of the Plan for Change, the Secretary of State will announce a series of reforms, delivering on the Government’s New Deal for Farmers including:
- Backing British produce: For the first time ever, the Government will monitor food currently bought in the public sector and where it is bought from. This is a significant first step to deliver on a manifesto pledge and make it easier for British farmers to win a share of the £5 billion spent each year on public sector catering contracts.
- Using planning reforms to support food production: Ensuring our reforms make it quicker for farmers to build the buildings, barns and other infrastructure they need on their farms to boost food production.
- Diversifying income streams: Helping farmers make additional money from selling surplus energy from solar panels and wind turbines by accelerating connections to the grid and support them during difficult harvests and supply shocks.
- A fair supply chain: Boosting profitability through fair competition across the supply chain. New rules for the pig sector will come this spring, ensuring contracts clearly set out expectations and changes can only be made if agreed by all parties. Similar regulations for eggs and fresh produce sectors will follow with the government ready to intervene with other sectors if needed.
- Protecting farmers in trade deals: The government will uphold and protect our high environmental and animal welfare standards in future trade deals.
The Government is committed to partnering with the food and farming sectors to drive meaningful change starting immediately. The recently announced 25-year farming roadmap will serve as a comprehensive blueprint to achieve this transformation.
Set to be published later this year, the roadmap will be the most ambitious plan in the nation’s farming history. It will involve close collaboration between the Government and farmers to address key challenges, identify practical solutions, and ensure the necessary support is in place to help farming businesses thrive.
As part of this effort, the Government has also launched the Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) Fund, offering grants for farmer-led trials of innovative technologies and techniques. These initiatives aim to promote sustainable food production, address climate change impacts, and protect natural ecosystems. Further details on the application process for farmers will be announced soon.
