By Aimee Mahony, chief poultry advisor, NFU
I’d like to start by congratulating all the finalists and winners at this year’s National Egg and Poultry Awards. It was great to see so many people and support the awards again this year as it’s important to celebrate the many successes that individuals and businesses from across the poultry sector continue to achieve.
It is currently farm safety week so it feels prudent to mention it in my column. However, whilst it might be particularly highlighted on weeks like this, we must all ensure that farm safety messaging is always a priority. I think this is increasingly important in order to help change the risk-taking culture that still exists in the agriculture sector, something that is further evident by the fact the rate of accidents in farming hasn’t improved in 40 years.
The history, value and purpose of the HSE and their relationship with agriculture was examined by Tom Heap on Countryfile recently. I watched the episode as different perspectives were provided on the recent HSE decision to switch to a focus on occupational health issues rather than preventative general health and safety inspections.
Dismissing a proactive approach to farm inspections may be considered a strange thing to do given the track record of farm safety in agriculture and the NFU have asked the new government to re-examine this decision.
Alongside this everybody involved in farming must look at what they can do to keep the topic of farm safety at the forefront of minds. Like many things prevention is key and if we all do one thing it can make a difference. Consider sharing what you’ve done in your business with family, neighbours and friends to help share best practice.
As we head into August the new government enter their summer recess. The first few weeks since the general election have seen the confirmation of new ministers but so far the detail behind any future direction in terms of policy priorities has been minimal. The NFU has been busy engaging with the new Defra top team which has included the opportunity for members to meet the new Defra Secretary of State Steve Reed and the new Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner at various shows and events.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw has also met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at the first government reception that No. 10 Downing Street has hosted since the election. The event provided an opportunity for business leaders across the economy to come together to meet the new cabinet top team and Tom was flying the flag for British agricultural businesses. The NFU’s presence ensured that the voice of farming was represented amongst the select few business representatives invited to attend and Tom expressed the importance of restoring confidence and building back profitability into farming businesses to allow the continuation of national economic growth.