Farmers deserve to be put on a pedestal, Andy Burnham is pushing at an open door on policy
Farming has been beset by challenges. Political, global and environmental headwinds have tested the hardiest of farmers. This often stoic sector has been driven to the point of mass protests.
However, as Andy Burnham measures up the curtains in 10 Downing Street, it is an opportunity for a reset. For Labour to genuinely put British agriculture on the pedestal that it deserves to occupy.
Farmers are not only putting food on the nation’s table but also guardians of the environment. Their importance is increasing in an ever volatile world, facing a climate crisis.
The new PM is pushing at an open door that won’t even require him to go against the Labour party manifesto. Burnham has made a lot of positive noise about ensuring public sector procurement favours British industry and agriculture.
Getting the public sector to buy from British farmers instead of opting for producers in other parts of the world would be a simple yet effective step that could add £1bn to the economy.
Similarly, in today’s newspaper Tim Smith, chair of Yorkshire meat production giant Cranswick and one of the country’s leading food supply experts, points out that there is another open door for Burnham to push at.
Estimates suggest the country needs 1,000 new poultry sheds to meet both demand and animal welfare requirements. This is a clear barrier to growth, another Labour manifesto commitment.
Legal requirements on minimising ammonia emissions were substantially tightened by Natural England in 2022 - making it more difficult to obtain planning permission and gain environmental permits.
Offshoring environmental commitments by importing chickens is not going to do the planet any good.