Meurig Raymond used his first NFU Conference address as president to call on the government to make British farming a priority with just 72 days until a General Election.
He told Defra Secretary of State Liz Truss to listen to the electorate which, in a YouGov survey, has shown an overwhelming support for domestically-produced food.
Eight out of ten people surveyed said that they believed government should do more to ensure a secure and affordable supply of British food. More than 80% also wanted supermarkets to sell more British food.
Mr Raymond said price volatility, such as the rollercoaster ride experienced in the dairy sector in the past two years, was the biggest thing stopping farming having the confidence to produce enough food for a self-sufficient Britain.
“In the NFU we have a clear vision of where we want to go. A vibrant, productive, profitable and competitive industry supplying the lion’s share of the food that our consumers expect and demand.”
“In the last 10 years British farmers have become much more exposed to world markets,” Mr Raymond said.
“In the world the two huge blocks of production and consumption are roughly in balance. But any small change one way or another has big consequences.”
He applauded the new powers afforded to the Groceries Code Adjudicator to fine retailers acting outside the code of practice governing the industry, but said that the NFU wanted to see that remit further down the chain.
“Our experience in this country is that voluntary measures in the food chain do not necessarily work, and in those cases you need to be courageous enough to impose compulsory measures.”
Speaking to more than 1,300 delegates at the conference in Birmingham, Mr Raymond also asked for longer periods for tax averaging to match the five years allowed in Ireland. He also called for better labelling, particularly on British milk products and for the planning system to take less notice of “NIMBYs” as farmers look to build up their enterprises.
On animal disease Mr Raymond urged Liz Truss to not make bovine TB a party political issue. “Don’t be tempted to tear up this strategy. Don’t be tempted to commit only to the politically easy bits. Don’t give up on eradication,” he said.
