National Farmers Union Peter Kendall has his hands tied to a certain extent when it comes to partisan political statements, but took a very pragmatic view in a press conference at the NFU’s annual conference yesterday.
When asked whether he had been more swayed by the presentations and arguments of Defra minister Hilary Benn or opposition leader David Cameron, Kendall said: “Only one of them is signing the cheques, which is obviously very significant. Our attention is very much with Hilary Benn at this point in time.
“David Cameron has got the messages that the world is a very different place and I find that encouraging. His words about food security are very important to us; we want to see a government that values us and our aims.”
However, Kendall added he does not see a particularly positive attitude to the countryside in any political party at the moment. "That to me reflects 60 million people who are becoming increasingly urban," he said.
He said the issues of food security and food resilience, highlighted by both himself and Cameron, but perhaps significantly brushed over by Benn, should not be confused. “The notion that as a rich nation you can buy yourself out of trouble is misguided and I’m not sure at all that it’s responsible,” he added, making the analogy of the 1980s Harry Enfield comedy character Loads of Money.
Prime minister Gordon Brown, no doubt updated on the key theme of the day, did however mention food security in his speech at the conference dinner, last night.
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