Credit: Miranda Parry Photography
On what was her last 'Back British farming day' in her tenure as NFU president, Minette Batters was defiant in her ambition to continue to lobby the Government to commit to a self sufficiency food target.
Speaking at a breakfast reception attended by the Secretary of State, Farming Minister, cross party MPs and farmers, Mrs Batters said she would ‘not draw breath' until this Government ‘levelled up' their ambition on the environment and their legislative targets with a focused target on food production.
Food security
She said: "With six months ago, I do feel like that proverbial terrier chasing down the Secretary of State, the PM and anybody I can about how critical it is that we deliver on a food target and take food seriously."
"Feeding the nation is incredibly important, I feel that drum we have been banging for a long time is being heard everywhere now. With covid and the war in Ukraine, the public really are valuing the importance of their food."
Some MPs doubted whether Mrs Batters would be able to get this over the line by the time she stands down, but she is fiercely determined to do whatever it takes to make sure it does.
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"I have been told many times no you will not. I remember Liz Truss telling me you will never get a trade agricultural commission in primary legislation and we did. Our jobs is to get what is needed for our members."
Defra
A Defra spokesperson said: "The Government has committed to continue to produce 60 per cent of the food we consume here in the UK."
But Mrs Batters said putting a target in a strategy document is not enough and were just ‘warm words'.
"The Prime Minister said in August last year at NFU HQ that he would set a new self-sufficiency target. He would have annual reporting and a statutory target. I want to see that happen.
"You have got local authorities working up local plans they have got house building targets, green energy targets, water quality, clean air net zero, but they do not have a target on food production."
Ms Coffey reiterated to farmers in the room that they were the ‘bedrock of our countryside and more importantly the people who put the food on our plates.' She said it was important that we developed sustainable food production and reassured farmers and union representatives that 'this Government was on farmers side.'
