UK's farming unions underline shared vision of farming post-Brexit
The four UK farming unions have underlined their shared vision for UK agriculture at the NFU Cymru conference.
The presidents of the farming unions came together at the conference to underline their shared visions for the industry, and to call on politicians to mirror that level of ambition.
NFU Cymru President John Davies, NFU President Minette Batters, NFU Scotland President Andrew McCornick and Ulster Farmers’ Union President Ivor Ferguson took to the stage of the NFU Cymru ‘Welsh Farming: Ambition for Growth’ conference on Thursday 1 November as part of a session titled ‘UK: A nation united by farming’.
The session saw all four UK presidents speak of the importance of their regular meetings together and sharing the same values and ideals for the UK agricultural industry.
NFU President Minette Batters said that coming together at the NFU Cymru conference provides an "important opportunity" for the four UK unions to "collaborate".
She said: "Together we share a vision and ambition to drive our industry forward, capitalising on the opportunities that lie ahead and facing any challenges head on.
"At a time of such uncertainty, the bond and solidarity between the four UK farming unions has never been more important."
As the UK’s impending departure from the European Union approaches, the unions say it is important that politicians across the UK and the EU show "vision and ambition".
NFU Cymru President John Davies added: “The title for this year’s NFU Cymru Conference is ‘Ambition for Growth’, which is an apt title because together we are all committed to ensuring that our industry continues to grow and further improve on the unparalleled contribution farmers across Wales, England, Scotland and Ireland make to society economically, environmentally, socially and culturally.
“With less than 150 days before the UK leaves the European Union we are calling on politicians and negotiators from all sides to follow our lead and come together to work towards a solution that ensures we can continue to trade freely with our closest neighbours,” he said.
'Biggest change'
NFU Scotland President Andrew McCornick said the UK is undergoing the "biggest change" in agriculture in more than 40 years.
"Never has it been more important for all the farmers to stand shoulder to shoulder to secure a profitable and sustainable future for our memberships across the UK. The four UK farming unions have, since 23 June 2016, shared common goals to ensure we deliver on this ambition," Mr McCornick said.
Ulster Farmers’ Union President Ivor Ferguson said the UK is entering a time of "unprecedented change" which presents a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to shape the future of agriculture in the United Kingdom.
"The UK farm unions collectively have a vision of a productive, progressive, sustainable and most importantly profitable farming sector and we want to work with the Government and other industry partners to realise this," Mr Ferguson said.
