Agenda item

The Chair welcomed Minette Batters, President of the National Farmers Union (NFU), and invited her to introduce the report.

Minette introduced both herself, and the report, and provided an overview of the NFU’s “Levelling up rural Britain” report, looking in greater detail at areas of common interest and overlap with the LGA’s “Rural recognition, recovery, resilience and revitalisation” report.

Board Members made a number of comments and asked questions which related to the following points:

• Food security, pressures on land use and the current disruptions to the farming and agricultural industry.
• The NFU’s working relationship with The Syngenta Group, the leading global provider of agricultural science and technology.
• The work that local government could undertake to support the NFU from a skills perspective.
• Moving to a plant-based diet and the role of farming in supporting the transition to net-zero.
• The protection of land from overdevelopment.
• Fuel security and the lack of public transport available in rural areas, in particular with regard to rural bus networks.
• Embedding rural proofing in procurement and supporting local businesses.
• Investing in farmers.
• Preserving rural areas and enabling rural businesses.
• Ensuring that meat and dairy products in particular were affordable and accessible.

Minette responded to Board Members’ comments, setting out the following points:

• The NFU continued to liaise with government in relation to their commitment to setting self-sufficiency targets and the ability to continue to grow in successful areas.
• The Nature Recovery green paper would be launched on 16 March and would set out thoughts on driving nature recovery in England via protected sites and species protections.
• It was important that the UK displayed global leadership and collaborate working to ensure that there were no global shortages.
• The NFU had a good working relationship with The Syngenta Group and communicated with them regularly.
• With regards to the current disruption in Ukraine, the NFU had recently spoken to a colleague based in Ukraine in relation to food shortages who had confirmed that they had hoped to plant 50% of crops. Areas such as North Africa and the Middle East were heavily reliant on grain out of Russia and Ukraine.
• The NFU were working closely with primary and secondary schools on a successful education campaign which related to linking agriculture to stem learning.
• More renewable energy projects were needed.
• In relation to building houses, the need for a rural policy which delivered a multi-faceted return to support the ever-growing population.
• The importance of whole foods, cooking from scratch and a balanced diet was emphasised.
• The need for working collaboratively on a world-beating food strategy, ensuring that everyone everywhere had access to high-quality British food, was emphasised.
• A trade-strategy had been devised to ensure that the UK could import and export more high-quality produce than at present.
• Challenges which related to tourism and affordable housing remained to be a concern for farmers.
• The importance of diversification on farms, planning, biodiversity and associated investments was emphasised.
• The Southwest LEP had undertaken work in relation to food procurement which would be shared with Members of the Board.
• The NFU do not condone any business that does not have very high welfare standards on farms.

Decision:

• Board Members noted the report.

Action:

Officers to liaise with group spokespeople and the Chair of the Economy, Environment, Housing and Transport Board in relation to buses.