Back our farmers - and safeguard future food supplies pleads Partridge Green man

John Ford, from Partridge Green, is urging all levels of government and the food supply chain to back British farming during 2016 to ensure future food supplies.

He said: “Across all sectors, 2015 has been a tough year for farming and recovery may be some way off. But we have to focus on the future. The UK will become the most populous country in the EU by the mid-2040s, with many more mouths to feed. So we need action from the EU, our own government and the supply chain to enable a competitive and profitable farming industry. This will assure the nation of a safe, secure and affordable supply of British food now and in years to come.”

Mr Ford said that the NFU was ‘right behind the Government’s food and farming growth plan and its agri-tech strategy to boost UK production and reverse the long-term decline in self-sufficiency’. In the short term, the NFU has urged banks to help farmers who have been experiencing cashflow problems, caused by low commodity prices and the late arrival of farm support payments.