British Farming needs more public partnerships to work with new economies and increase exports if the UK is to remain a major player in the global food industry, DEFRA's Caroline Spelman has said.
The secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs has said there has been a recent jump in British exports of over 10 per cent and the government wants this to continue.
Speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference, Spelman has said an Exports Actions Plan will be published towards the end of January that will help companies to export by simplifying paperwork and assisting with promotion overseas.
DEFRA is also funding research into crop genetics and into water and nutrient use to help increase production, she has explained.
“There is a wealth of examples of exciting breakthroughs emerging from this research. There’s the well-known East Malling Research project that has been growing strawberries with 70 percent less water. These results are now being transferred to potatoes - another crop with high water demand.”
In October, a new variety of broccoli called Beneforte also went on sale in UK shops providing protection against heart disease and cancer. Spelman has said she has high hopes for the new variety.
“It’s a highly commercial food product that will give a real boost to agriculture, health and the economy,” she has said in her keynote speech.
On the subject of climate change, Spelman has said many UK farmers are reducing their carbon footprint and DEFFA wants to help make this more widespread by supporting the industry-led Greenhouse Gas Action Plan.
The Water White paper released late last year has shown that water could cost the UK some of its best agricultural land in the near future.
However, Spelman has said there could be positive effects of climate change that the UK can capitalise on.
“It could also bring longer growing seasons, reduced frost damage, and the opportunity to introduce new crops and livestock species,” she has said.
Another key area of investment is promoting innovation in technology. Spelman has said the work on Pillar 2 CAP reform is part of this and DEFRA is also collaborating with the industry through the Technology Strategy Board’s Sustainable Agri-Food Innovation Platform, which is providing up to £90m of funding over five years.
She has also said exporting the UK’s world-leading agricultural skills is becoming an increasingly important area of business.
The UK is already home to globally successful agri-food corporations Unilever, Tesco, Associated British Foods and Spelman has said a new Power in Agriculture report will explore the risks of this growing power.
“We understand our role in ensuring that corporations use their power positively, and we’re taking steps, including the introduction of a Groceries Code Adjudicator to safeguard it," she said.
“We also know that these corporations provide the bridgehead to emerging economies for our farming industry.”
In conclusion, Spelman has said Britain needs to extend its influence, create new partnerships across government, across industries, and across the world with partners like Brazil, India, Russia, China and South Africa.
“We need more public-private partnerships. All actors working together for more power to agriculture's elbow.”
In March 2012, DEFRA is holding an Innovation Summit in London to raise awareness of the resources available to food and farming businesses and explain how it can help with innovation.
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