Newly appointed Defra Secretary Emma Reynolds has pledged to put farming at the heart of Britain’s “economic renewal”, as NFU President Tom Bradshaw urged government to invest in farmers to secure the nation’s food future.
Speaking at the union's tenth Back British Farming Day reception today (10 September), Mr Bradshaw told MPs hat investment in farming is essential to ensure the industry can produce food while adapting to challenges such as climate change and market volatility.
Back British Farming Day has become a fixture in the Westminster calendar, with around 80 MPs and peers attending the anniversary reception to celebrate the role of Britain’s farmers and growers.
Welcoming Ms Reynolds, who entered the cabinet last week in the prime minister’s reshuffle, Mr Bradshaw praised farmers’ ability to adapt but warned that clarity and certainty were vital for businesses to plan and invest.
He reiterated the industry's opposition to the so-called 'family farm tax', warning that it would strip businesses of the capital needed to reinvest or, in some cases, leave “no farm left to invest in”.
Citing a report by tax experts CenTax, he said the reforms to inheritance tax would disproportionately hit working farms.
The NFU president said: “I hope that in this moment of reset across Whitehall we're able to move forwards... and unlock the opportunities for investment to deliver the growth the sector needs.
"So that when we're here next year, we're working in partnership, we're delivering what the country needs, and we're delivering what the farming industry needs.”
In her first major speech since taking office, Ms Reynolds emphasised her “great respect” for the work of farmers, noting that the NFU’s latest survey ranked farmers as the UK’s second most respected profession, after nurses.
“I want to provide them [farmers] with the certainty and confidence to invest for the future,” the Defra Secretary said. However, she did not address the issue of the inheritance tax reforms in her speech.
Acknowledging the pressures of extreme weather, from flooding to drought, she added: “It's clear we need to do more to help farmers improve farm resilience to a changing climate.”
Ms Reynolds underlined the sector’s importance to the UK’s growth agenda: “The farming sector is at the heart of Britain's economic renewal. I attended my first Cabinet meeting yesterday and made that point. Defra is a growth department and you are at the heart of that.”
She confirmed that Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) will open next week, with guidance published today, and said more detail on the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) would follow shortly, calling it “right at the top of my inbox”.
The reception, hosted in the NFU’s London office due to ongoing industrial action in parliament, was sponsored by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, MP for Suffolk Coastal.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw was joined by NFU Cymru President Aled Jones, NFU Scotland President Andrew Connon and UFU President William Irvine.
Senior MPs in attendance included Shadow Defra Secretary Victoria Atkins, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper, Plaid Cymru Westminster Leader Liz Saville-Roberts and EFRA Committee Chair Alistair Carmichael.
The NFU said the event demonstrated strong cross-party support for British farming at a time when the sector faces significant challenges — and opportunities — in shaping the UK’s food and environmental future.
