Ex-NFU chief will conduct a review and provide recommendations to Defra
Former NFU president and farmer Baroness Minette Batters has been appointed to lead a review of farm profitability.
The appointment by Defra secretary of state Steve Reed will see Batters providing recommendations on farm profitability both to him and the farming minister.
Defra said that listening to farmers and growers will be at the heart of Batters’ work, covering all land areas and sectors of the industry, as well as engaging with other government departments whose work impacts farmers.
She will provide short, medium and long-term recommendations and propose actions for government and industry that will support farming profitability as part of the government’s New Deal for Farmers.
This work will be supported by the newly formed Profitability Unit within Defra.
Batters’ review will also help the development of the food strategy, farming roadmap and the Land Use Framework, Defra added, as well as build on other work such as the review of Defra’s regulatory landscape led by Dan Corry.
Her aim is to help ensure the UK farming sector is more viable, self-sustaining and competitive in the long-term.
Batters began her role, which runs for six months, on 7 April.
Reed said: “Backing British farmers is the backbone of all work to support rural economic growth and boost Britain’s food security.
“We have taken strong action to protect the future of the sector with the New Deal for Farmers. But we must go further and faster as part of our Plan for Change to put money into the pockets of farmers and drive growth.
“That is why I am delighted to appoint Baroness Batters, and her years of experience as a leader during a time of great change in British agriculture make her uniquely placed to provide recommendations on tackling the deep-rooted problems holding the sector back and support farmers’ long-term profits.”
Batters added: “I will leave no stone unturned in trying to find solutions to boost farm profitability. But we should be under no illusions how difficult this work will be.
“There will not be one ‘silver bullet’ to fire but I’m hopeful this review can make a difference to a sector that produces the nation’s food, underpins the rural economy and delivers so much for the environment.
“I’m pleased to be appointed to lead this review and look forward to working with farmers and growers to provide recommendations to government, food retailers, processors and manufacturers.
“The appointment is one of a number of actions that the government is taking to improve the profitability of farmers, including through fair competition in the supply chain, ensuring planning reforms make it quicker for farmers to build the buildings they need on their farms, and helping farmer diversify income streams and make additional money from selling surplus energy from solar panels and wind turbines by accelerating connections to the grid.
“As set out in the Plan for Change, the government is focused on supporting our farmers, rural economic growth and boosting Britain’s food security and are going further to develop a 25-year farming roadmap to make the sector more profitable in the decades to come.”
