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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 26, 2022

World New PM nixes UK farmers’ food target

BRITISH Prime Minister Liz Truss says she will not introduce a “Soviet-style” food selfsufficiency target as called for by the United Kingdom’s National Farmers Union.

But setting out her farming views at an online hustings held by the union recently, Truss promised to make food and energy security her top priorities.

“It is a concern I have that we are not sufficiently focused on food production,” she told members.

“I am not a great believer in putting forward legally binding statements; what I am in favour of is delivering.

“I said on housing I do not favour Soviet-style top-down targets and I do not favour a topdown target on food production.

“What I favour is generating the conditions in which farmers are able to be more successful, get investment and get up the value chain.”

My focus will be on helping the industry get the investment it needs to ... take advantage of the export markets which have been opened up, including the US [and] the markets in the Pacific where prices are much higher than they are here.

Liz Truss British Prime Minister

TRADE: The UK’s new Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs secretary, Ranil Jayawardena, defended the New Zealand free trade agreement with the UK, saying it could deliver meat to the UK seasonally.

The current conditions for food production are anything but favourable, though, as farmers struggling with record energy prices consider scaling back their operations.

Truss hit out at the record of the government she has been a part of for the past decade, claiming not enough had been done to secure energy supplies over the previous 20 years.

“My first priority, as well as reducing taxes on consumers and businesses, will be to deal with the supply issue and make sure we become more energy selfsufficient, in the same way I have talked about us becoming more self-sufficient in food.

“As prime minister, I will make sure that I am not just focusing on consumers, but also focusing on business energy costs.

“I will be looking to act fairly quickly on dealing with that energy issue and providing reassurance to consumers and businesses, including farmers.

“What we cannot have is yet another sticking-plaster solution.

“We need to sort out this issue of national energy security and make sure that it is a priority into the future.”

She also promised to “look at what can be done” to bring down soaring fertiliser prices.

Throughout the election campaign, Truss spoke of cutting red tape for farmers, saying in her recent Farming Matters column in Farmers Guardian that she would “unleash the potential of British food and farming” by removing “onerous European Union regulations”.

But when asked for more detail on which red tape would be cut, she floundered, only able to name restrictions on agricultural drone use and a need to “simplify” environmental schemes.

“What I want is an overall refocus, so we are more focused on food production,” she said.

“That is my priority, and I would want my Defra [Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] secretary to listen to farmers and the NFU about exactly what is getting in the way of that production taking place.

“I want to look at that and how we can improve the delivery of our payment schemes to make it simpler for our farmers.”

On labour shortages, Truss reiterated her previous commitment to extend the Seasonal Workers Scheme and pledged to change the relationship the Home Office had with industry under the leadership of Priti Patel.

“I see this in my own constituency, whether it is poultry producers or producers of products like herbs, it is very difficult to find people to do those jobs,” she said.

“We have traditionally always relied on seasonal agricultural workers. We need to expand the scheme to enable those businesses to get the crops out of the ground.”

Truss was supportive of the government’s trade record, where she played a key role as trade

RED TAPE: Throughout her election campaign new British Prime Minister Liz Truss spoke of cutting red tape to ‘unleash the potential of British food and farming’.

secretary, but said she would do more to boost exports by looking at match funding for Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board levies.

She was also adamant that postBrexit trade deals contain “very strong safeguards” for agriculture and claimed that a Parliamentary debate on the Australia agreement would take place in the autumn, despite the fact that the opportunity for MPs to delay ratification has already passed.

“My focus will be on helping the industry get the investment it needs to become more competitive and to take advantage of the export markets which have been opened up, including the US, where we have got the beef and lamb ban lifted, as well as the markets in the Pacific where prices are much higher than they are here,” she said.

UK Farmers Guardian

Liz who? Farmers on Truss

DAVID Bletcher, from a farming family in Shap:

“We will see how she comes out. First of all, she has the energy problem to solve and I think she is really in a position where everyone has got to be looking at her and she has a very hard job. I think she should be alright.”

Nick Kos, smallholding in South Preston:

“I wish her all the best. I think she has taken that job at a very difficult time and we can only hope things go well for her.

“A lot of things are out of her control and if she concentrates on things she can do something about, then great.”

David and Julie Garner, beef and sheep farmers in Mawdesley:

“Time will tell,” said David. “To get herself elected she has never mentioned farming so we shall see.”

“Not heard any of her ideas yet, so I do not know,” said Julie.

Hannah Lawrenson, Garstang, parents farm arable and poultry:

“I will be quite honest, I had not actually heard of her until two days ago when I heard it on the radio. I do not know if it is just me being uneducated. I do not know because I am not really sure what she is about.”

Meet the UK’s new agriculture tsar

THE UK’s new Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, Ranil Jayawardena, is relatively unknown in agricultural circles, but worked as a trade minister since 2020, where he was responsible for negotiating and implementing new deals.

A keen Brexiteer, he has pushed for a new deal with India and robustly defended the Australian and New Zealand agreements, saying they have “complementary economies” as they can deliver meat to the UK “seasonally”.

He also championed the role of labelling during his time as trade minister, believing consumers should have a choice about the standard of food they buy, as long as they are able to make an informed decision.

Prior to taking up the role at the Department for International Trade, he sat on the select committee scrutinising the department. During evidence sessions held on trade with Australia and New Zealand, he suggested the deals would “give consumers greater choice and perhaps a more competitive price” and described the EU as a “protectionist racket”.

He also hit out at representatives from Dairy UK, claiming they wanted to “maintain protection” for domestic products, when the group asked for phased elimination of tariffs, and saying they would rather “lobby the government for protection” than “make the case” to consumers to buy British milk.

He was similarly critical of the NFU during an evidence hearing on United States-UK trade, accusing the union of being “awfully protectionist’ for demanding a level playing field that does not disadvantage British farmers in terms of cost of production, regulation and standards.

According to his website, he has met several times with representatives from the NFU and the Country Land and Business Association to discuss the needs of farmers and rural businesses and has pushed for better rural broadband, phone signal and air ambulance services.

He also raised the issue of rural policing during debates. But in the five years before he became trade minister, he did not speak in Parliament at all about farms or agriculture. His only mention of farmers was during a debate on the Agriculture Bill in October 2018, where he said creating a “greener agricultural system” would be good for trade as “niche products” make attractive exports.

Around the same time, he cited lower food prices as one of the benefits of Brexit and described EU bans on hormone-treated beef and chlorinated chicken as “nannystate precaution”.

He since claimed the move to transfer both bans onto the UK’s domestic statute book was evidence of a ministerial commitment to uphold standards.

He has no agricultural experience, building a career in banking before becoming an MP.