By Matt Donald, pig & poultry producer, north Yorkshire
As an agricultural industry we have enough current problems to deal with, fairness in supply chain, labour shortages, disease and rising costs, but the absolute kick in the teeth from the new Labour government seems a step too far. Statements from a former Labour advisor such as ‘we don’t need farmers’ is just proof of how out of touch the government has become.
The rising cost of healthcare is escalating for the UK, surely promoting nutritious and natural homegrown food such as fresh poultry, fruit an veg to make the public healthier would be a far better way to help combat this crisis? It would also be helpful if the chancellor knew how to run a business-but that’s a whole bigger opinion piece than this one!
To supply this homegrown food we need UK farmers, we are not asking for handouts, nor any more grants, just fairness and appreciation for the hours and work that goes into producing food which is so often taken for granted.
As a mixed farm with pigs, poultry and a small amount of arable, we are keeping a close eye on the farming rules for water policy that seems to be appearing again. Lobbying by the NFU got this pushed out last time and it looks like we need to again, I agree water quality is vital to the environment, but farms operating good practices and proper nutrient management plans are not the polluters.
Despite the political turmoil you still have to focus on the things you can control, one of which is energy cost. We have managed to fix a contract for two years from next September which looks a lot more favourable than current per kwh rates. The world is a volatile place and we won’t know if it is the right decision until the end of 2027.