Said to be the most significant moment for English agriculture since the Second World War, the government has announced the Farming Roadmap 2050: Growing England’s Future.
Developed alongside farmers, the roadmap sets out how the government will provide long-term stability. It is backed by actions in response to Baroness Minette Batters’ independent Farming Profitability Review, providing greater access to the tools, technology, skills and supply chains they need to invest, innovate and grow.
Co-operatives will play a larger role, alongside other collaborative models, to enable collective purchasing and joint investment. The government will also review how the economic value of farming is measured.
It says that a single figure of 0.6% of Gross Value Added is misleading because it captures only primary agricultural activities. Working with the Office for National Statistics, the government will look to develop new supplementary statistics to include the wider food supply chain, from processing and manufacturing to distribution and retail.
Seasonal worker visas will also continue until at least 2030.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: “Farmers feed our nation and manage the land that shapes our countryside, yet their contribution has never been valued in the way it deserves. Our roadmap marks a shift away from only looking to the next harvest and towards a plan that gives farmers the long-term clarity they need to innovate, invest and grow with confidence for generations to come.
“I have spent every day in this role rebuilding our relationship with farmers brick by brick because they’re such an important part of our economy, our society and our environment. We are looking at how farming is valued economically and socially to ensure it receives the recognition it deserves.”
Additional plans are in place to create Sector Growth Plans with the industry, starting with horticulture and poultry and bring farmers, retailers and investors together on the Farming and Food Partnership Board.
Measures being taken forward include:
- Extending supply chain fair dealing regulations to egg producers and fresh produce
- Launching a dedicated task-and-finish group to unlock private sector investment in sustainable farming
- Establishing a new UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary area to cut export friction
- Opening the new SFI26 application window to all eligible farmers this month
- Opening the new £30 million Farmer Collaboration Fund this summer to support groups of farmers to grow their businesses, build partnerships and share best practice
- Transferring the Groceries Code Adjudicator from the Department of Business and Trade to Defra to support a more joined-up approach to food supply chain fairness
- Considering changes to the National Planning Policy Framework following recent consultation, including proposals to make the system more supportive of the infrastructure farmers need.
In response to the announcement, Tom Denyard, managing director of Waitrose, said: “We welcome the Government’s 25-year Farming Roadmap as a vital commitment to the long-term future of British agriculture. Britain’s farming sector offers the highest quality, environmental and welfare standards in the world; the very reasons we champion British sourcing all year round.
“The roadmap will help accelerate our plans with commitments to nature-based solutions and providing farmers with access to better tools and technology. It offers an important vision for building a resilient, productive, and sustainable food system. We hope it provides farmers with the certainty they need to plan for the future. We look forward to working closely with the Government, and our trusted farming partners, to turn this vision into a reality that ensures British agriculture continues to thrive for generations to come.”
NFU president Tom Bradshaw said: “After nearly two years of waiting for this roadmap, it’s good to see resilience, profitability, productivity and sustainability at its heart – all areas we’ve been urging the government to focus on. The government is right to say that the national security context has changed. Combined with climate and economic shocks, the fragilities of our food system now feel very exposed, and we need to move rapidly into delivery mode to turn this around.
“However, while the roadmap is full of ambition, it falls short on action and even shorter on the means of delivery.
“The roadmap sets out a welcome multi-year direction for farming, yet there is no long-term funding to go with it. Intent alone won’t deliver a secure and affordable supply of homegrown food for the nation, nor care for 70% of England’s landscape.
“The Treasury is conspicuously absent in this plan. Instead, it tips the balance of risk even more onto the shoulders of farmers, with much of the investment expected to come from business bank accounts, which have been sucked dry over recent years due to soaring costs and unsustainably low margins. There has to be a greater partnership between Defra, the Treasury, MHCLG (Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government) and farmers if we’re to realise this vision for farming.
“This isn’t just about growing the basic value of food and farming, but building a resilient food system which can protect the 29 million UK households from future food shocks. We will work with ministers to ensure the priorities and vision are delivered through a genuine partnership approach with the Farming and Food Partnership Board.”
He added that the roadmap relies on productivity growth and private finance, which risk being oversimplified.
“Today’s record temperatures show what we’re up against. Resilience isn’t just about maintaining profitability in times of challenge, but being able to adapt to changing circumstances, including a more volatile climate. Let’s review abstraction licensing rules to ensure they’re fit for purpose, let’s stimulate investment in on-farm water storage, and reform the planning rules to make building reservoirs easier – these are all things the government could do right now to help boost productivity growth.
“It’s also vital that food production is given equal legislative weight to the UK’s climate and environmental targets. The roadmap states that ‘food production will remain the primary purpose of farming and central to national security’ – the government must be given a clear mandate to drive this forward, or our ability to produce the nation’s food will simply succumb to the whims of future governments.”