NFU president Peter Kendall has called for fresh thinking on farm policy as growers and farmers try to recover from a year of devastating weather.

“Climate change scientists have long predicted that agriculture will face major challenges from global warming,' Kendall said. 'However 2012 has starkly demonstrated the cost that extreme weather events can wreak on farmers and the food supply chain.

The NFU estimates that 2012's weather has led to a 'financial black hole' on Britain’s farms amounting to some £1.3 billion.

“Global warming is commonly thought of as a series of small, incremental temperature rises. However, there is now growing evidence that the more immediate impact, at home and abroad, will be in the form of extreme weather events such as Superstorm Sandy and the midwestern drought in the US, or the persistent flooding across much of England and Wales.

“We have seen how these events can have a devastating effect on populations around the world. But extreme weather will certainly also require fresh thinking from agricultural policy makers and the whole food supply chain to ensure that our farmers can adapt and our food supply is resilient.'

To address the issue Kendall said better supply chain relationships and the sharing of risk were key, supported by the introduction of the Groceries Code Adjudicator.

Kendall added the union also wanted to see the conclusion to protracted negotiations for both the EU budget and a reform of the Common Agricultural Policy.

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