David Cameron: Food security must be a priority

In a speech to the NFU today, Conservative Party Leader, David Cameron, said:

"I'm delighted to be here on the one hundredth anniversary of the National Farmers' Union.

The NFU is one of the most important trade associations in our country, championing British farming both at home and abroad.

I'm a member myself.

I care passionately about the countryside.

I was brought up in it.

I've spent much of my life in it.

And now, I represent a rural constituency in Parliament.

It cannot be said enough times that the British countryside is one of our most precious national treasures.

It's shaped our history and national character.

But let me make clear from the very beginning.

I want to see a living, working countryside - not a museum.

For me, there is no more vital an industry than the production of our food.

It's vital for our health, our culture and our economy.

Our country depends on a strong agricultural industry to provide rural jobs, to look after the land and produce our food … so I say enough of the pessimism, enough of the idea that British farming has had its time.

Government Failure

But let me begin by acknowledging how difficult recent times have been for British farming.

Global competition and rising costs have squeezed profits.

Foot and Mouth, Bluetongue and Avian Flu have ravaged our livestock and poultry.

An increasingly powerful retail sector has helped to disconnect consumer from farmer, and to divorce the rural community from its urban neighbours.

And these difficulties have been compounded by this Government.

For a start, they've been incompetent in getting the Single Farm Payments out in time.

This has cost farmers around £20 million in lost interest and arrangement fees.

And, it will cost the taxpayer nearly £300 million in late fines.

The implementation of the scheme has a "catastrophe", a "disaster", a "failure", a "debacle"….not my words, but the words of the Select Committee responsible for scrutinising this department.