Labour Party Conference: 'Mindset change' needed in Defra to deliver for farming

Defra must be up for the challenge. The Minister can have all the ambition in the world, but there needs to be a mindset change to ensure the team delivering farming policy are up for the challenge too.

Defra

That was the message from NFU president Tom Bradshaw at this week's NFU's fringe event at this the Labour Party conference. Speaking to a packed room of farmers, alongside the Food Security and Rural Affairs Minister Daniel Zeichner, managing partner of Ceres Rural Charlie Ireland and Labour MP for Congleton Sarah Russell, Mr Bradshaw warned the Minister that in light of the £358 million pound underspend over the last three years, Defra was a department ‘very close to failure' if it was not careful. 

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The Minister pointed out this was the outcome of the previous administration, but added it did not have to be like this anymore.

He said: "What I see is a pretty sophisticated machine that has been set up, but it was not being driven very well in my view. So lets see what we can do to make it better."

SFI

Mr Ireland said it was 'worrying' to hear delays to Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements being processed and urged the minister to investigate or a further underspend could be likely. 

The need for SFI baselines around biodiversity and carbon to demonstrate 'value for money to tax payers' was also stressed. 

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Mr Bradshaw said it was 'incredibly difficult' to have conversations around needing more budget to deliver net zero ambitions, when you do not have the baselines to 'justify investment'.

Mr Zeichner said he 'totally agreed', adding his officials were looking into urgently. 

Tenant farming

Lisa Edwards a tenant farmer from the north west, probed the minister what his vision was for a ‘resilient tenanted sector', highlighting situations where tenanted land being taken back in hand.

Mr Zeichner said he was 'absolutely committed' to following through with the Rock review recommendations, acknowledging some were more difficult than others. 

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Mr Ireland 'draconian' clauses in tenancy agreements for agricultural use only needed changing to 'unlock' entrepreneurial potential of tenants. 

APR

But he said the biggest worry was changes to Agricultural Property Relief.

"The risk of [losing] APR we are seeing it already, a lot of estates, taking land back in hand from tenants, so they can be trading."