Bedfordshire farming leader welcomes government support but says immediate help is urgently needed

But after the NFU revealed a crisis of confidence among farmers and growers in its confidence survey last week, which showed farmer confidence at a record low following the wettest winter on record, she stressed the need for immediate support for the county’s farmers.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosted a summit on Tuesday, May 14.

The NFU called for the food summit in the run up to the Conservative leadership election in 2022, with the first being held at Downing Street in 2023. The NFU also called for it to be an annual event and for the publication of an annual Food Security Index, with this second summit attended by almost a hundred representatives from food and farming organisations, as well as members of Cabinet and departments across Whitehall.

At the summit, a series of announcements were made by the government including:

· A new blueprint to increase domestic production in the UK horticulture sector.

· The publication of the Food Security Index setting out key data and trends.

· Further support for farmers and growers affected by wet weather.

NFU Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire Chair Freya Morgan said: “I am really pleased that the Farm to Fork summit has taken place again this year, with the Prime Minister championing British food production at a time when a recent confidence survey put out by the NFU showed how tough it is out there for our food producers, with farmer confidence at an all-time low.

“I hope this will continue to run every year, keeping food production and security in the UK at the forefront of MPs’ minds.

“But the measures laid out are focussed on long-term strategy and it is really important, also, that we see action to support farmers in the short-term.

“Farmers have experienced extreme wet weather and frequent flooding in recent months. Many farm businesses need immediate support to get through the short-term.”

NFU President Tom Bradshaw, who attended the summit, said: “Many of the announcements are extremely welcome, particularly those long-term strategic ambitions around the launch of a UK Food Security Index and measures to boost the production of more British fruit and vegetables.

“But we cannot forget that our members have experienced the wettest eighteen months since 1836, including devastating flooding, and many are facing an acute short-term crisis.

“We will continue to engage with ministers on the detail needed for the immediate relief our farm businesses require and believe that core standards for food imports also need to be part of the long-term offer.”