'Profit is not a dirty word': NFU to challenge government at conference

With farmer confidence at deeply negative levels and domestic production of key staples in decline, NFU President Tom Bradshaw is set to warn that building a resilient food system is essential to curb inflation and safeguard national security.

In his opening address to the NFU’s annual conference today (24 February), he will tell more than 1,000 members, politicians and industry leaders that resilience in food production is not optional in a period of geopolitical instability, but a “cornerstone to national security”.

His speech comes as the NFU’s latest confidence survey paints a stark picture. Short-term confidence stands at -33 and mid-term confidence at -30, with 64% of farmers and growers reporting that profits are declining or that their business may not survive.

Mr Bradshaw is expected to argue that restoring profitability must be the starting point for growth.

“Investment in food production is critical to the nation’s future,” he will say. “Everyone – young or old, rural, or urban – needs a resilient food system.”

He is set to define resilience as the ability to “anticipate shocks, withstand the impact and recover stronger than before”, and to call for a clear, long-term government strategy for farming and food production.

Referring to recent comments from the Defra Secretary, he will add: “Profit is not a dirty word. Profitability is the first step towards true sustainability. That is the key to growth, resilience, and curbing food inflation.”

The intervention comes amid ongoing debate over farm support, environmental schemes and rising input costs.

Mr Bradshaw is also expected to highlight examples of joined-up policy, pointing to planning reforms designed to make it easier for farmers to secure approval for new agricultural buildings.

However, he will urge ministers to show similar ambition in other areas, including delivering on a pledge for half of all public sector food to be locally sourced.

Energy policy will feature prominently in his remarks. He is set to warn that changes to standing charges this spring could add “hundreds of millions of pounds of inflation” to supermarket shelves, and will argue that farming’s energy-intensive businesses should receive the same level of support as sectors such as cement and steel.

Water security will also be raised. “Our ability to feed a growing population relies on access to a secure supply of water,” he will say, calling for the UK’s river network to be treated as critical national infrastructure and properly maintained.

On environmental policy, he will describe farmers as “the original environmentalists” but caution that schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive cannot succeed if the “goalposts” continue to shift.

“If we get this right, Britain’s farmers will invest in the on-farm infrastructure needed to deliver a resilient food system for 70 million consumers,” he will say, arguing that domestic investment would help retain processing capacity, technology and research within the UK.

He is also expected to caution against over-reliance on imports, citing a National Preparedness Commission report which highlighted the “danger of the UK repeating past mistakes, assuming others will always feed us”.

Production of staples including wheat, beef, poultry meat and vegetables has fallen in recent years, and he will conclude: “The years of UK food production contracting must end now.”

Mr Bradshaw is set to close by warning that without decisive action to strengthen domestic food production, the UK risks greater exposure to global shocks and sustained food price volatility.

“Britain should, and can be, one of the best places on earth to produce food,” he will say. “For the sake of our economy, for our planet and for our national security, we must not take that advantage for granted.”