Comment

The Cabinet Office "Food Matters" new report represents a missed opportunity to create an all-embracing food and farming strategy for the 21st century, according to the NFU.

NFU president Peter Kendall said that while the report provided a useful foundation for future work and a positive contribution to the current food debate, it did not deliver the much-hailed strategy that the food and farming industry requires. Especially disappointing was the lack of recognition of the increasing role that productive agriculture can play in addressing the challenges ahead, he said.

"The references to the Sustainable Food and Farming Strategy and the CAP Vision document highlight the extent to which the document still relies on dated analysis and recommendations. New circumstances require new thinking and new solutions, but this report fails to provide them," said Mr Kendall.

The NFU initial assessment of the report highlights its failure to identify the whole range of issues affecting food and farming and the potential conflicts between different policy objectives. Moreover, on those occasions when the conflicts are recognised, the document falls short of putting forward a consistent approach or specific actions to address them.

"The analysis is incomplete on a number of fronts. It ignores the full impact of regulation on the competitiveness of the agricultural sector and, in general, fails to recognise the importance of productive farming and the role that it can play in addressing food security and price stability. Food security cannot be uniquely tackled at the national level, but that should not preclude British farming from playing a crucial part in addressing this global issue," said Mr Kendall.

On a more positive note, however, the NFU welcomes the recognition of a number of issues requiring further analysis and action, such as the commissioning of a study on the impact of the current GM regulatory regime on the livestock sector, the initiatives to improve policy and research coordination across government departments and the development of a "five-a-day" action plan.

Peter Kendall said: "This document represents the beginning, not the end, of the process. The NFU will continue to be engaged at all levels to ensure that government objectives, including budgetary targets, fully reflect the need for a competitive food and farming sector. Government needs to understand that industry involvement is essential if any strategy is to succeed."

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