A major new report Why Farming Matters in the Fens is being launched by the National Farmers Union today. It explains the importance of farming to this unique landscape and sets out the crucial role farmers and growers make to the economy, the environment, the food and drink sector, tourism and the community.
The report illustrates how the Fens are a powerhouse of productive agriculture and horticulture, how farmers can help mitigate the impact of climate change and calls for action to ensure the Fens are protected for the future.
Key facts within the report include:
The Fens contain around half of all Grade 1 farmland, the most productive farmland, in England; 70 per cent of land within the Fens is managed under environmental stewardship schemes; More than a third (37 per cent) of vegetables grown in the open are grown in the Fens; farms in the region support 27,000 full and part time jobs while farming underpins a food and drink manufacturing sector worth an estimated £1.7 billion within the Fens
NFU President Peter Kendall is launching the report at an event at the East of England Showground in Peterborough, organised with the East of England Agricultural Society.
Kendall said: “This report clearly demonstrates the vital contribution that farming within the Fens makes - locally, regionally and nationally. Rising world demand for food, climate change and energy security have combined to make agriculture a strategically important industry once again.
“Against that background the Fens are a highly productive and precious resource that must be protected to safeguard future food production and deliver the environmental benefits we all want to see.”
Celebrity chef and food champion Rachel Green was also due at the launch to talk about the quality and range of produce grown in the Fens.
“Farmers in the Fens are rightly proud of the fresh produce they grow,” said Green. “The variety, quality and taste of food from the Fens are superb.”
The Fens stretch around the Wash and into the counties of Lincolnshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.
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