The government has included agri-tech and precision breeding as key elements within its industrial strategy published yesterday, marking a win for the UK farming industry.
The industrial strategy forms a central pillar of the government’s growth mission. The food and drink sector is already worth £146 billion to the national bank and supports jobs for more than four million people.
The NFU says it has lobbied government departments hard, including the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), to get agriculture included to help boost its value to the country even further.
Having agri-tech and precision breeding technology as areas of focus within the growth sector plan means there should be greater opportunities for farmers and growers to contribute to the government’s growth agenda, increasing their ability to create jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, boost productivity and drive investment in sustainable food, fibre and energy production.
NFU Deputy President David Exwood said, “The government has repeatedly said it wants to deliver growth. As the backbone of the food and drink industry – the UK’s largest manufacturing sector – farming is in a great position to contribute to this.
“The UK agriculture sector is world class with innovative and tech-hungry farm businesses. With the right investment, farming has the potential to be a key driver in future growth and that’s why we have been pushing hard for it to be included in the Industrial Strategy. We already have proposals within our Blueprints for Growth to support the government’s goals and intend to feed these in as part of next steps.
“This focus on agri-tech should help farming businesses become more productive, sustainable and resilient, and ultimately deliver even more for the British people and the government’s growth ambition.”
National security strategy
Heartened by this success, the NFU is also urging government to ensure that food security is firmly embedded in the scope of its coming national security strategy.
The strategy, expected today alongside the NATO summit, will explain how the government intends to keep the UK safe at a time of rising global instability. The NFU says that and food should be included in it.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw said, “We are facing into an increasingly volatile world. The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report forecasts heightened global instability over the next decade, with conflict and economic shocks on the rise and extreme weather becoming the norm. It’s therefore vital that the resilience of our food system is considered a strategic priority.
“The nation was reminded all too recently of the consequences of fragile food supply chains, with supermarket shelves bare and fresh produce rationed because of high production costs here and bad harvests abroad.
Bradshaw urged ministers to “seize this moment to put food security at the heart of our national security strategy. It’s not just an opportunity – it’s a necessity to safeguard the future of food for the nation.”