Government proposals will profit agribusinesses but offer little so far to family farms or nature

The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Reed set out the plans to farmers and landowners at the Oxford Farming Conference this Thursday.

The announcement is part of a promised 'New Deal for Farmers', which will include reforming public procurement, planning policy, diversifying income streams, fairer supply chains and protecting farmers in supply chains. The recently announced 25-year farming roadmap is proposed to set out how plans will be delivered in more detail, and will be published later this year.

Will White, farming campaign coordinator said:

On nature recovery:

“What the government has announced risks treating food production, nature restoration, and climate mitigation as separate silos, even though DEFRA’s food security report last month underscores how tightly interlinked they are—warning that ongoing declines in nature pose a ‘pressing risk’ to UK food security."

On supply chain fairness:

"It’s right that the government is working towards greater farmer profitability. While we applaud the emphasis on supply chain fairness, the approach must be far more ambitious if it’s to deliver a genuinely better bottom line for farmers. 

Labour’s proposed food strategy and 25-year farming plan have real promise, but they must translate into tangible, immediate actions—otherwise we risk damaging farmers’ confidence, public health, and our long-term food security.“

Ruth Westcott, Climate and Nature Emergency Campaign Manager said:

On enabling the intensification of livestock:

"We have serious concerns about plans to increase and expand industrialised chicken production, which is a risk to food security and has been shown to profit large agribusinesses, while exploiting and undercutting family farmers. An expansion of factory farming also threatens the health of soils and rivers, with research by Sustain showing that an unchecked expansion of the industry could increase annual nitrogen production by up to 32%. 

As the physical and geopolitical risks associated with climate change increase, Sustain also has serious concerns about the robustness of an import-oriented food system that is reliant on grain supply chains controlled by a handful of companies."

On procurement:

“We welcome the announcement around public sector food. The government has already promised to buy local and sustainable food for public sector meals and monitoring what’s sold now is a vital first step, but this needs to come alongside investment and to unlock more organic, UK-grown fruit, vegetables and pulses to be grown and supplied to the public sector. We need strong, legally binding standards stipulating agroecological and locally sourced foods if we’re to genuinely support farmers and bring public sector food in line with our climate targets."

The full speech by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Reed can be found on the Defra website.