We are urgently developing research requirements with other European laboratories to make sure we understand and the disease (Schmallenberg) better.NFU spells out General Election wish list
WITH the General Election looming around the corner the NFU has told the next Government to put productive agriculture at the centre of its political agenda.
Peter Kendall, NFU president, said issues of food security, climate change and population growth would leave the next Government with no choice but to invest in British agriculture.
The farming union spelled out its priorities at the launch of its election manifesto and ‘Why farming matters more than ever’ campaign in London today (Thursday, September 17).
Mr Kendall said: “The extraordinary price spikes of 2007/08, the unprecedented volatility in commodity prices, the biggest global recession since the 1930s and the setting of hugely ambitious targets for carbon reduction and renewable energy – shows why farming matters more than ever.
“Our manifesto not only focuses on the short to medium term issues that the industry, in partnership with Government, must address.
“It also proposes some practical and easily implementable policies that, if adopted, will deliver a number of benefits for the country and countryside and will clearly demonstrate political parties’ commitment to this most essential of industries.”
The 15-page manifesto asked for key policy commitments, including calls to –
- Review the role of Defra’s executive agencies, such as Natural England and the Environment Agency
- Increase public funding on research by at least £100 million per year
- Adopt a policy to allow impartial and secure GM trials
- Abolish the Agricultural Wages Board (saving £500,000 per year)
- Establish a Grocery Market Ombudsman
- Establish an independent body to decide all aspects of animal health and welfare policy
- Develop a CAP that applies rules equally across Europe
Hilary Benn, Defra Secretary, welcomed the NFU manifesto and agreed with the campaign statement that ‘farming matters more than ever’.
He said the Government would ‘do its bit’ to help farmers tackle the twin challenge to ‘produce more food while impacting less on the environment’.
“This is a time of great opportunity for farming where the world needs more food and agriculture really is important,” he said.
Nick Herbert, Shadow Defra Secretary, gave a glimpse of how the Tories would operate, should they be elected, when he said the next Government would have to tackle a ‘resources challenge’ and find ways to remove ‘wasteful spending’ from Defra.
“We will need to have a tough look at Government spending and a steely look at how Defra’s quangos operate,” he said, adding there were “too many people with clipboards telling farmers what to do.”
Tim Farron, Lib Dem agricultural spokesman, added his endorsement to farming union’s key political objectives.
“The NFU’s manifesto provides the perfect blueprint for how the UK can move to a sustainable, secure supply of food while preserving a natural, healthy environment,” he said.
