“Food security is a vital part of national security”
Our Chair, Simon Conway, and Nat Key attended the NFU Conference this year, held on 20 & 21 February 2024 in Birmingham. From farmers and growers to policy makers and industry experts, there were a range of speakers addressing the challenges and the potential of the UK agriculture and horticulture sectors; including the Prime Minister, speaking at the Conference for the first time in 16 years. Rishi Sunak stated that “food security is a vital part of national security”, a message that Minette Batters, the outgoing President of the NFU, has been behind for the last 10 years.
He promised “every penny” of the £2.4bn farming budget would go to the agriculture and horticulture sectors, with £427m in grants on their way in the next financial year and £220m of that focused on technology and productivity schemes. With an annual Farm to Fork Summit at No.10, a new annual UK Food Security Index review, and investigations into fairness and changes to regulations in the supply chain for some sectors among the announcements, it seems agriculture and horticulture are finally moving further up the agenda. We look forward to these promises coming to fruition and hope that all parties’ assurances of support materialise over the coming months and years.
Throughout the Conference, farming and growing were touted as the potential solution to key national concerns including environmental impact and sustainability, climate change and the health of the population - a message we can get behind. Despite the enormous challenges of severe flooding, soaring costs, difficulty getting appropriate labour, and unfairness in the supply chain (among many others) voiced over the two-day conference, there was an air of positivity and pride in the work farmers and growers do to feed and support the nation.
Drawing the conference to a close, Minette Batters made her last speech as NFU President, thanking everyone who has supported and helped along the way, saying it has been “the privilege of my lifetime” to lead the NFU and fight on the industry’s behalf. Tom Bradshaw now takes on the mantle.