Farmers and food businesses will have a stronger voice at the
heart of government through a new Farming and Food Partnership
Board, launched today (Thursday 18 December) to drive growth,
productivity and long-term profitability across the sector.
Chaired by Environment Secretary , with Farming Minister Dame
as deputy, the Board will
bring together senior leaders from farming, food production,
retail, finance and government to take a practical,
partnership-led approach from farm to fork to strengthen our food
production.
It comes as the government publishes
Baroness Minette Batters' independent Farming Profitability
Review, which highlights the need for closer collaboration
between farming, industry and government, and greater clarity and
certainty for farm businesses looking to grow and invest.
While the government will respond to the Review's findings,
action is already under way to give farm businesses the stability
they need to plan ahead and invest.
Environment Secretary said:
When farming thrives, the whole country benefits. British farmers
are central to our food security, our rural economy and the
stewardship of our countryside.
Baroness Batters' Review underlines the need for government,
farming and the food industry to work much more closely together.
That is exactly what the new Farming and Food Partnership Board
will do.
This is about serious action to remove barriers, unlock
investment and make the food system work better, so farm
businesses can grow, invest and plan for the future with
confidence.
Baroness Minette Batters said:
I want to thank all those that have responded to the Farm
Profitability Review and I encourage everyone to read the Review
in full.
I'm pleased that the Secretary of State recognises the need to
establish a new approach to growing the British brand at home and
abroad by producing, creating and selling more from our farms in
a measurable way.
With ever more extreme weather, the horrific, ongoing war in
Ukraine and 69.7 million people in the UK now is the time to
deliver food security as national security.
The Board will focus on removing barriers to investment,
improving how the supply chain works and unlocking growth
opportunities across different parts of primary production and
processing. It will have a clear emphasis on supporting
agricultural productivity, homegrown British produce and
strengthening food security.
But the Board will not take a one size fits all approach. It will
focus on sector plans where there are clear opportunities to
boost productivity, starting with horticulture and poultry, where
there is significant untapped potential to increase homegrown
production.
Alongside the launch of the Board, ministers are setting out
immediate actions to back farm businesses, including:
- Unlocking food and farming infrastructure through planning
reform, working with MHCLG to make food production a clearer
priority in the planning system. Proposed changes to the National
Planning Policy Framework announced this week will help speed up
delivery of key infrastructure such as on-farm reservoirs,
greenhouses, polytunnels and farm shops, making it easier for
farmers to invest and expand.
- Stepping up action on supply chain fairness, including
continued scrutiny of unfair practices and consideration of
changes to Groceries Code Adjudicator oversight.
- Tackling barriers to private finance, bringing together
farmers, agri-food businesses and major financial institutions to
attract investment into farm transformation and productivity
- Supporting exports and new markets, with ministers leading
dedicated trade missions in 2026 to showcase British food and
drink overseas.
The government response to the Farming Profitability Review will
be set out through the new 25-Year Farming Roadmap, due for
publication next year, providing long-term clarity on the
direction of travel for the sector.
Today's announcements form a core part of the government's
overall food strategy. They back British farming, strengthening
food security and supporting profitable, resilient farm
businesses for the long term.
Notes to editors:
- The objective of the Farming and Food Partnership Board will
be to strengthen food production at home and ensure government
policy delivers real change for farmers. It will complement the
work of the Food Strategy Advisory Board (FSAB), who have been
advising on various matters, including growth, as part of their
broader work to kickstart systems change across the entire food
chain.
-
The Review makes 57
recommendations to improve long term profitability,
productivity, resilience and investment across farming.
- The Farming Roadmap will set out a 25-year vision for the
farming sector and the pathway to deliver it.
- A government response to the Review will be included as part
of the Farming Roadmap, following further engagement with the
sector.
