Defra secretary Steve Reed unveils Labour’s ‘farming roadmap’

The government is promising “a new deal for farmers” that puts British food production front and centre with policies designed to support profitability and nature restoration. 

Addressing the Oxford Farming Conference today (9 January), Defra secretary of state Steve Reed outlined the government’s vision for the farming sector at a time of considerable strain and challenge in the sector.

Reed was making his first big industry appearance since the inheritance tax (IHT) row that led to demonstrations in Westminster in November. Reed blamed the “£22 billion black hole” that he said the government inherited from the Conservatives for having to introduce the tax, which he insisted had not originally been in Labour’s plan.

He also argued that more than just being about agricultural property relief, IHT was above all “the straw that broke the camel’s back”. The bigger issue, he claimed, was years of Conservative government that had created an environment that made it difficult for farmers to turn a profit.

Farming roadmap

Reed’s big announcement was Labour’s “farming roadmap”, which he said will be the “most forward-looking plan for farming in our country’s history, a blueprint that will make farming and food production sustainable and profitable for the decades to come”.

The roadmap will be built on three strands – putting food production at the core, allowing businesses to diversify and make a profit, and recognising that restoring nature is essential to food production rather than in competition with it.

“A cast-iron commitment to food production, more resilient farm businesses and nature as the foundation – these are the elements that will underpin our farming roadmap as we work towards a more sustainable sector with food production at the centre,” Reed said. “It [the roadmap] will not tell farmers what to do. Instead, it will be led by farmers. It will involve government and farmers working together to find answers to the great challenges we face.”

On the first strand, Reed highlighted the Labour manifesto pledge to use the government’s purchasing power to back British produce with at least 50 per cent of publicly procured food being local or produced to high environmental standards. The government will now monitor where public sector food comes from.

Reed spoke of tearing down barriers to exports, expanding global trade opportunities, and implementing regulation for the fresh produce sector to guarantee fairness.

Citing the role of technology and innovation, Reed gave the examples of solar panels on soft-fruit polytunnels and using AI to capture data on pollinators. A further ADOPT (Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies) fund will launch this spring as part of the Farming Innovation Partnership to bridge the gap between new technologies and real-world application.

Secondary legislation for the Precision Breeding Bill will be introduced to Parliament by the end of March, bringing closer the opportunity for farmers to grow gene-edited crops that are more nutritious, pest and disease resistant, or benefit the environment.

On the second strand, Reed pledged to introduce reforms that will allow farmers to improve and diversify their businesses more easily. “In the spring, we will consult on national planning reforms to make it quicker for farmers to build farm buildings, barns and other infrastructure they need to boost food production, and we will shortly begin a series of planning round tables with the sector,” he explained.

“Planning rules have got in the way for too long. We will speed up the system so you can grow and diversify your farm business, such as chicken producers who need a larger shed to boost the amount of food they produce, or vegetable growers who want to upgrade or expand greenhouses, polytunnels, packhouses or other facilities so they can become more productive and more profitable.”

Explaining the third strand of the government’s vision – restoring nature – Reed underlined the important role of healthy soils, abundant pollinators and clean water in food production. “That’s why we’re investing in the biggest-ever budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history, with a total of £5bn pounds over the next two years to help all farmers, tenants, commoners and landowners transition to more nature-friendly farming methods,” he said.

Working together with farmers

More than half of farmers are now signed up to schemes under the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Reed promised to work with the sector to evaluate what is working and what isn’t, and make improvements as necessary. “I know some farmers need our help to move off the old higher-level stewardship schemes into higher tier,” he admitted. “We’re making changes and getting more farmers into higher tier than ever before, but the pace is lower than farmers’ ambitions expect. I’m pushing to increase that.”

Reed rounded off his speech by stating that the government will work with farmers, growers, manufacturers, processors and supermarkets to shape the long-term plan for the future of farming. “Farms deserve to be successful, profitable businesses,” he concluded. “The prize is long-term food security, resilient farm businesses, healthy ecosystems, beautiful countryside and nutritious food on our plates.

“We will work in partnership to achieve our vision for the farming sector – a sector with food production always at its core, where farm businesses can diversify their income to make a fair profit and remain viable through the most challenging of times, and which recognises that restoring nature is not in competition with sustainable food production, but is essential to achieving it.

“Change is coming. It won’t always be easy, but it brings real opportunity. There’s a place for every farmer in that future, and I’m determined that it will be farmers who lead us along the road that takes us there. So let’s seize this opportunity together and give farming back the bright future that it deserves.”