The NFU has welcomed the new government, after Labour won a landslide victory in the general election, and said it wanted to to help deliver its missions for Britain by boosting national food security, contributing to economic growth and driving environmental benefits.
“This is a reset moment for British agriculture as we work with Sir Keir Starmer’s new government to drive our sector forwards and grow,” said NFU president Tom Bradshaw.
A raft of MPs with connections to food and farming lost their seats, including the former farming minister Mark Spencer and former environment minister Rebecca Pow. Former Defra ministers including Therese Coffey, Liz Truss, Theresa Villiers, Ranil Jayawardena and Victoria Prentis were also all unseated.
“Labour’s manifesto recognised that food security is national security, but it is business confidence that forms the foundation of this. With British farmers and growers ambitious for the future, what they – and the public – need are practical policies that revitalise farm business confidence and deliver on our shared mission of food security,” said Bradshaw.
“In the coming days and weeks, we will be building on our strong engagement with Labour ministers to date to discuss essential policy solutions on key issues for our members. There are a number of policies within Labour’s manifesto which we will want to see actioned, for example ensuring the new Environmental Land Management schemes work for all farm businesses, setting core standards for food imports and legislation to boost public procurement.”
Better trading conditions
Tony Goodger of the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) said improving trading conditions with the EU and access to labour were key priorities for poultry processors.
The new Labour government has promised to “kickstart the economy”, stating in its manifesto that it “will publish a trade strategy and use every lever available to get UK business the access it needs to international markets. This will promote the highest standards when it comes to food production”, said Goodger.
“It is essential that the meat and poultry processing industry have access to skilled and affordable labour,” he said, “and we will continue, as before, to make the case with the Migration Advisory Committee and the Home Office.”
“AIMS’ number-one priority with respect to overseas trade is to restore frictionless movement of products of animal origin into mainland Europe, which we know can be easily achieved by establishing a veterinary agreement with the EU,” he said.
“At the same time, there are various issues that need greater recognition if the sector is to unlock its potential for growth, such as a fit-for-purpose Seasonal Workers Scheme, effective import controls, supply chain fairness, investment in infrastructure and flexibility in planning.”