British agriculture needs to change and recognise even more the importance of the marketplace, according to NFU president Ben Gill, speaking on Wednesday, at the union's two-day agm & conference.

It must seek to better understand the entire food chain and ensure that everyone in that food chain adds value that is in excess of the cost associated with it.

He added that the necessity of taking urgent measures applied: 'To every sector from cereal to horticulture, from root crops to live stock and from milk pigs & poultry.' And there can be no leeway as 'Whether we like it or not the society we live in has become more cruel, more dog eat dog and much more demanding.' Gill went on to say that this option would be far from easy. 'Nothing is going to be handed to us on a plate we need to determine our own destiny,' he said.

For success it is necessary to work together and come across to a critical mass that would 'Give us a proper base in the marketplace and a seat at the negotiation table with the others at the end of the chain. This is not to repeat the mistake of domination but to develop real partnerships for mutual benefit.' A key element is sustainability and that means profitability, which among other benefits 'Will secure the future of farming business; encourage new entrants; afford investment in new technology; permit further continuing investing in the environment and spins off into the whole rural community.' Gill said it is wrong to dismiss agriculture as a small player in the economy. 'We are the core of the food industry and 14 per cent of the economy,' he said, 'and together with the rural tourist industry we are nearer 20 per cent of the total economy.' The agm was held on February 6-7, at the Metropolis hotel in London. l

Topics