Farming For The 21st Century: NFU at Westminster
NFU President Peter Kendall will talk about the challenges and opportunities facing farmers and growers at todays Westminster Forum Seminar on 21st century farming in the UK.
Mr Kendall will join Government Chief Scientist Professor John Beddington and a host of top speakers in examining the contribution that UK farmers can make feeding a burgeoning world population, while at the same time impacting less on the environment. Todays seminar will address the strategic challenges facing the industry and the role farmers and growers can play.
Mr Kendall said: The challenges facing the food and farming industries have been well documented; our need to perhaps double food production globally by 2050, the impacts of climate change on the ability to grow and rear food in some parts of the world, the pressure on our natural resources and concerns for energy security, particularly when many of our farm inputs rely heavily on oil and gas. There are other factors impacting on our industry including volatile markets and the downward pressures exerted by dominant supermarket powers. Professor Beddington has described the challenges as a perfect storm and I cant think of a more fitting phrase.
However, I want to talk about the opportunities that these dynamics present us with. Our potential for growing different types of food, coupled with increased demand for our produce, should see a positive impact on prices and with it increased profits and stimulus for the reinvestment that is so desperately needed in some sectors.
Farmers and growers are also key players in the green energy revolution; with their farmland acting as platform for renewable energy, both for growing sustainable fuel crops and turning farm waste into electricity. Many of the changes being made in the industry to increase productivity and competiveness, as well as making good business sense, are also beneficial to the environment.
We are lucky that living in the UK we have very high levels of food security, based on a strong domestic farming and food sector and a wide range of third country suppliers. I would never argue that food security equates to self-sufficiency this simply isnt true. Nevertheless, as President of the NFU I cannot help but be alarmed when I see massive declines in production in some sectors as a consequence of market disturbance or stifling national legislation.
But the issue is not just about what the world can do to guarantee our food security, its about what the UK can do to meet the growing demand for food across the globe. We have the ability to utilise our assets; our land, our skills, our capital and our infrastructure, to ensure that the UK farming sector can respond to any growth for food both here and abroad.
Mr Kendall will also use his opening address to repeat his calls for Defra to set a public service agreement measure for food production. He will also repeat the need for increased spend in research and development for agricultural science as stated in the NFUs Why Science Matters campaign. This call has been backed by the recent Royal Society report which declared an extra 2billion is needed over ten years to enable the UK to meet some of its food security challenges. Mr Kendall will also highlight the need for any future reforms of the CAP to create a level playing field across Europe; one that eliminates market distortions and provides farmers and growers some assurance against market risk to help industry meet some of the challenges its faces.