TAKING FARMING TO THE HEART OF LONDON

The NFU returned to the streets of London for the Lord Mayor's Show in November, and our Student & Young Farmer Ambassadors let the good times roll. Jess Stobart reports.

CAUSING A MEDIA FRENZY

Lloyd Sturdy

The NFU received an incredibly warm reception on the streets of London at this year’s Lord Mayor’s Show as we joined forces with the Worshipful Company of Farmers, New Holland, Red Tractor and Surrey Docks City Farm.

Featuring New Holland’s state-of-the-art T6.180 Methane-powered tractor and FR550 forage harvester, the dairy-themed float showed the bumper crowds that British farmers are proud to produce high-quality, climate friendly food.

After a year or so in the making, it was so good to be back out on the streets of London with the Back British Farming message. The public turned out in their hundreds of thousands, lining the streets from start to finish and cheering for British farmers, making for a brilliant atmosphere.

Not only did the British public create an electric atmosphere, the Student and Young Farmer Ambassadors were full of energy and enthusiasm – evidenced by one or two rather croaky voices come the end of the parade.

The green (blue) machines The imposing machinery caught the attention of passers-by and this gave the ambassadors a chance to explain their green credentials.

North West ambassador Matt Rollason explains: “The New Holland equipment was really impressive and shows how British agriculture is coming together to make better use of natural resources, in this case, with a methane-powered tractor – a world first! It was surreal to see this high-tech kit roaming the streets of central London instead of open fields, but it demonstrates how modern farming methods are evolving to feed a growing global population.”

NFU Cymru ambassador Lauren David agreed with Matt, saying: “The coolest thing that New Holland had on display at the Lord Mayor’s Show had to be the T6 Methane Power Tractor.

“This is the world's first 100% methane powered tractor and is key to CO₂ reduction – in

NFU Student & Young Farmer Ambassador from the North West Joe Bramall was also interviewed live on BBC One where he highlighted the NFU's net zero ambition.

Afterwards, he said of the experience: “Being able to share the future farming message around net zero and thanking consumers for buying British live on BBC 1 was amazing. I hope that I’ve made at least one person think about where their food comes from and that #BuyingBritish is #BuyingSustainable.”

line with the NFU's net zero carbon ambition. This is vital to becoming more sustainable on farm while producing high quality British produce.”

Feeling the love The group left London after the event a very happy bunch. Representing West Midlands at the Lord Mayor’s show for a second time, Katie Smith said: “I felt so lucky to be able to experience the Lord Mayor’s Show this year – it was so great to see so much support for farmers throughout the streets of London. Having taken part once before, I knew what to expect this time and was able to really get stuck in spreading the message to Back British Farming!”

For Ambassador Harriet Bartlett from East Anglia, the event was a world away from how she normally spends her time, working on her academic rsearch for her PhD. She was taken by how grateful the crowds were to farmers, saying: “I had several people look me straight in the eye and say ‘thank you’. It was such a lovely atmosphere.”

Cameron Knee felt the positivity from the public had made his long journey down from Scotland worthwhile. He said: “The best part of the two days for me was hearing the cheers from the crowds, with some shouting ‘thank you farmers’ and ‘keep up the hard work’. ”

Karl Franklin, Karen Mercer (Master of Worshipful Company of Farmers) and Josie Troop with a hamper of produce for the Lord Mayor