The NFU has hailed the introduction of the Agriculture Act as a
‘landmark moment’ for post-Brexit farming, marking more than two
years of campaigning to improve the Act.
Since the first version of the Bill was published in 2018,
significant improvements have been made to ensure the importance
of food production and food security are properly recognised.
The final legislation also includes a requirement for a report to
be presented to Parliament focusing on the impacts that future
trade deals could have on the food and farming sector. Further
amendments to the Trade Bill are expected to assign this
responsibility to the Trade and Agriculture Commission.
NFU President Minette Batters said: “As the first domestic
legislation covering agriculture for over 70 years, this really
is a landmark moment for our food and farming industry. Simply
put, the Agriculture Act will set how we farm in this country for
generations to come.
“Getting to this point has not been easy. Two years ago when the
Bill was first published, the clear absence of food production
and food security troubled many. The NFU made the case at the
highest levels of government that this piece of legislation
needed to recognise the role of farmers as food producers and I
am pleased it now does that much more robustly.
“It will also now play a crucial role in ensuring our farmers are
not undercut in future trade deals by food imports that would be
illegal to produce here. By strengthening the Trade and
Agriculture Commission and putting it on a statutory footing, the
government has shown it is listening to the case we made,
together with the millions of people that feel so strongly about
this issue.
“However, the introduction of this Act does not mean the issue of
domestic agricultural policy is solved forever. Farmers across
the country find themselves in uncertain and challenging times
and it is crucial that the government continues to work with the
NFU and our members to shape how they use the powers granted to
them in the Agriculture Act.”
