What was in the King's Speech for farming and reaction
Farming industry leaders have welcomed elements of the government programme set out in the King’s Speech, but warned the government needs to take action to enable a thriving and resilient industry.
While the speech outlined 37 bills the government aims to pass in the coming parliamentary session, the mounting concerns over food security were not touched upon and there was neither a mention of agriculture or farming. In response, the Good Food Bill Campaign, which is calling for legislation to transform the UK’s food system, said it would escalate its push for landmark food legislation.
Neverthless, the speech included numerous changes that could impact on the industry, such as a package of laws to ease the burden of regulation and make it faster to build new energy infrastructure. The Clean Water Bill will merge the functions of several existing regulators, including Ofwat, looks set to introduce tighter slurry management, river pollution and nutrient run-off regulations. Other proposed legislation which could affect farming include the European Partnership Bill, Energy Independence Bill through cutting red tape at the border and increasing competition for agricultural land respectively.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw also highlighted the Police Reform Bill, which will address rural crime, and said the legislative programme included “several areas where we can work in partnership with government to shape policy on behalf of farmers and growers”. He said: "In the longer term, as part of the Police Bill ensuring fairer funding for police forces to tackle rural crime is key and meaningful consultation with the sector on the Clean Water Bill will be essential to building trust and securing support for future policy which understands the importance of water availability for food production.”
Mr Bradshaw there are “clear opportunities” to help create the right policy framework for resilient, sustainable and profitable farms that both produce food and protect the environment. He said farmers’ confidence was extremely low, with wars in the Middle East and Ukraine to volatile weather making producing food highly risky. He said: “Through this legislative agenda, government has the opportunity to boost confidence and strengthen resilience across the industry.”
The NFU says in the short term, the government needs to take action to ensure farmers and growers remain profitable and resilient by tackling the current spiralling costs of fertiliser, fuel and energy because of the war in the Middle East. The union also argues the government should address an urgent need for clarity on the Sustainable Farming Incentive, saying scant details have been available ahead of the first application window opening .in July. It has emphasised the importance of ensuring a sanitary and phytosanitary agreement with the EU that minimises disruption to UK farmers and growers, protects innovation and ensures necessary transitional and technical adaptations is also vital.
While the RSPCA warned the European Partnership Bill must not jeopardise the UK’s "hard gotten gains" on animal welfare, including the live animal export ban, Fran Barnes, chief executive officer at the Horticultural Trades Association, welcomed the government’s recognition in the speech of the importance of improving trading relationships with the European Union. She said: “For a sector that relies on the timely movement of plants, trees, bulbs, seeds, machinery and associated goods, reducing friction and improving certainty is critical to supporting growth, investment and consumer confidence.”