Mayor has commissioned research in
partnership with York and North Yorkshire's farming sector, to
understand their business resilience, and build on existing work
to ensure farming is sustainable for generations to come.
He made the commitment after meeting with representatives from
the farming industry to hear their concerns around financial
challenges for farming and rural businesses.
During a rural roundtable with industry networks including the
CLA, National Farmers' Union (NFU) and Yorkshire Agricultural
Society (YAS), he listened to concerns about a lack of support
for farmers.
Mayor said he will work to build
stronger relationships between the government and the farming
sector to shape deeper devolution in a rural context and drive
the agenda on support and growth.
He is working on his Local Growth Plan which has food and farming
at the top of York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority's
strategic growth priorities.
Mayor said that support for farmers
is key to the region's growth plans, but that must also consider
the wider rural issues of transport, housing, skills, planning
and energy to support healthy and thriving communities across the
region.
Following the roundtable, Mayor said:
“I want to work with farmers to inform our plans, not do things
to them. This has happened for too long, but with devolution
comes the opportunity to change that. The sector has faced many
challenges and farmers are rightly concerned about their future.
“I am committed to keeping the communications channels open to
help our farmers grow. Food and farming is the top priority in my
growth plan and for good reason.
“We all want viable and sustainable farm businesses for the long
term, and a strong farming sector here in the UK.
“There is so much potential with our farmers, food producers and
researchers all here in York and North Yorkshire. With this and
the existing Grow Yorkshire partnership that brings together
farming organisations, such as the NFU and CLA, together we can
work with government to ensure the future of farming and food.
“It is vital that we get this right. We need to build trust with
our region's farmers, and I know that will take a lot of work and
time, but my door is open.”
Mayor will continue to work with
the network, set up by the Combined Authority's farming
initiative Grow Yorkshire, to ensure that as Mayor of York and
North Yorkshire, he can champion and advocate for the food and
farming sector nationally.
The Mayor is keen to build on the Grow Yorkshire model and
provide it with more support, so York and North Yorkshire's farms
can be sustainable, but he is also ambitious about the region's
role as a rural trailblazer.
Last week he visited a dairy farm near Goathland in the North
Yorkshire Moors to see how Grow Yorkshire has supported them to
become more sustainable and save money on energy costs.
It is one of a number of programmes led by Grow Yorkshire, which
also drives innovation by encouraging farmers to adopt new
technology and grow bio-fibres while bringing together
information for farmers through a radio pilot called Farming
Outlook.
