NFU lays out general election asks

The NFU has released its general election manifesto, focusing on five key policy challenges that it says are crucial for British farming.

The manifesto stresses that prospective MPs should Back British Farming through five key policy areas: Making Brexit a success; investing for growth; safeguarding short, fair and secure supply chains; placing science at the heart of policy making; and caring for the countryside and rural communities.

The guide, which the union released over the bank holiday weekend, includes a number of statistics about the importance of British farming, including the fact that for every pound spent on farming, seven is put back into the economy. It also cites a recent YouGov poll showing 85 per cent of people think it isimportant that Britain has a productive and resilient farming industry.

NFU president Meurig Raymond said: “The general election in June provides an opportunity for the farming sector to impress on candidates of all colours the critical value of British farming to our economy, to our wellbeing and to our environment. The success of British farming matters to the British electorate – especially at this time of unprecedented change.

“We can’t ignore that farming is arguably the most vulnerable sector in the Brexit negotiations. But the NFU has its sights fixed on solutions and policies to ensure a productive, profitable and progressive farming sector that puts safe, trusted, affordable and quality food on shoppers’ plates. Over the next parliament, we want to work in partnership with the new government to achieve this with a predictable and manageable transition process.

“And while Brexit is one of the newer challenges for the sector, we’re still committed to gaining political traction on the issues that existed in the industry before 23 June 2016, and still exist now. The nation needs a food and farming industry with a government strategy, it needs a safe food chain, and it needs a government which looks after the countryside and rural communities.

“In our manifesto, we are setting out five key policy challenges. The British food and farming sector, working alongside government, must address these points in the next parliament.”