Government backing vital, insists NFU

Producers must be given the tools and incentives to produce welfare-friendly and sustainable food, farmers' leader Peter Kendall told delegates at a major East Anglian conference.

"We need the government to stop thinking of farming as a pain in the backside and that cheap food is a good thing," he told about 300 land agents, accountants, lawyers and other professional advisers.

"When are we going to get the politicians to back us producing more and doing it in an efficient way and giving us the tools to do it?" said Mr Kendall, president of the National Farmers' Union.

"We are fighting like hell to get the government to say not just that we think farming is important, but also to try and find ways of helping us to compete and be productive and do the job better.

"At the moment I don't see that happening."

Speaking at the Sentry Farming conference at Chilford Hall, Linton, near Cambridge, he said that government was still "focused on energy security as well as the ability to keep food inflation down".

Mr Kendall welcomed last month's report by the Cabinet Office on food issues, but said there was a marked lack of action.

"I do not see any realistic change of heart within government about drawing up measures to help farming produce more rather than hinder it and prevent it producing more.

"We need to invest in a lot more productive capacity," added Mr Kendall, who said that the government has scrapped investment incentives from April.