Farmers need to lead the agenda on the environment, rather than responding to pressure from others according to Produce World Director of Agriculture Andrew Burgess.
Speaking at the annual NFU conference, he said that proactivity by farmers will provide a platform for growth and stability.
Andrew was speaking at workshop session on the second day of the conference. The theme of the workshop was ‘Where will the environment take us in the future?’. He emphasised the importance of environmental action for the future of farming, and gave some examples of ways in which both government and industry is willing to pay farmers for taking action to preserve the environment.
However, he also made the point that positive environmental action makes good economic sense, regardless of external payments.
He said: “We need to continue to identify opportunities and mechanisms for payments, but I am a firm believer that the on-farm cost-benefit of environmental management should be net positive without the need for external support.
“There are many win-wins in working with nature and many lose-lose situations through working against nature. Equally there are many case studies and demonstration farms where this can be proven, both in the short-term in yield benefits and long-term through building resilience.”
Andrew is a member of the NFU’s Horticulture and Potatoes Board. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Associate Fellow of the Royal Agricultural society and is a Trustee for LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming).
