NFU President highlights huge public support for British farming at East Sussex meeting

The NFU launched its manifesto1 in Parliament on Monday ahead of the next general election urging all political parties to support policies which back British food and farming.

NFU President Minette Batters spoke at the NFU East Sussex annual meeting at The Roebuck Inn, in Laughton, near Lewes, on Tuesday.

She said: “We launched our manifesto in Parliament yesterday and we have to be ready for an election.

“All of the polling out there shows how food and farming are key issues to voters in both urban and rural areas.

“People everywhere have seen the shortages of some foods on supermarket shelves which comes from being too reliant on our food from overseas.

“People are focused on this and the importance of homegrown food and British farming is showing up in the polls.

“In Parliament we told our political leaders that if they give us stability through a ring-fenced budget, we can deliver food security for the nation and we can deliver this at pace.

“We can also comply with our environmental responsibilities but there has to be payment for that.

“It is not fair that farmers pick up the cost of their work for the public good.

“There has to be a budget for sustainable food production.”

The manifesto leads with new research which demonstrates how much food and farming matters to voters in the run up to the general election, with strong appetite for greater government support to boost home-grown food production.

The research shows that:

• 84% think food production targets are either as important or more important than environmental targets for farming.
• 82% say it would be a good idea for the government to set targets to increase British food production.
• 66% think that the parties’ plans on farming will be one of the issues that affects who they vote for at the next general election.
• 66% think that a commitment to a long-term plan for food and farming will be an important factor in who they vote for at the next election.

A key ask outlined within the manifesto calls on the next government to match the existing target-led ambitions for the environment and climate mitigation with similar ambitions for Britain’s food security, by also setting targets for food production.

At the East Sussex meeting it was confirmed that Martin Hole will continue as the county’s NFU chair next year and that Steve Reeve has been elected as council representative.