The NPA is seeking the views of pig producers to inform former NFU president Minette Batters’ Defra-commissioned review into the profitability of farming.
Baroness Batters, who was asked to carry out the review by Defra secretary Steve Reed, says she is ‘determined to use this opportunity to provide meaningful recommendations to Government, food retailers, processors and manufacturers’.
In an open letter to farmers, Baroness Batters says she wants to be ‘radical’ and have ‘blue sky thinking’ about what can be done differently.
“For every problem or issue, I want to encourage you to think ‘outside-the-box’ on solutions to increase profitability in the sector,” she said.
“Having said that, the solutions must be deliverable in the world that we live in, not the world we’d like to live in. They cannot therefore be limited to Government action or interventions alone as they need to be deliverable in the tight fiscal environment this government is operating in.
“As such the solutions must also include what the sector and supply chain can do differently. The review is a rare opportunity to step back and think about how everyone can shape the future for their sector.”
She explained that she is intentionally taking a broad definition of profitability underpinned by two core principles:
- Farms are businesses that produce an agricultural yield of some kind (per the Agriculture Act).
- Farm income is the revenue generated by a farm after all expenses have been deducted. This is fundamental to farm viability and their ability to reinvest.
“These factors do not sit solely within the control of farmers and growers, Government or the wider supply-chain so I must take a system-wide approach. To capture this, I see myself as a convenor for your views, opinions and expertise on the challenges you face, what the solutions could be, and what is needed to deliver them,” she said.
She will focus on a small number of impactful short, medium and long-term recommendations, and wants each sector to give views on:
- Three to four big barriers and/or opportunities relating to profitability in your sector.
- Corresponding solutions to these issues.
- Any case studies to demonstrate the problems you identify as part of this process.
NPA role
While she is open to listening to individual views, time constraints mean she is asking farming representative bodies, such as NPA, to act as convenors to pull together views and put forward ‘clear actionable proposals that can shape the review’s recommendations’.
Baroness Batters intends to present her report and recommendations to the secretary of state in early October and is requesting papers from the NPA and others by July 11.
- With that in mind, the NPA is asking members to send views on the three points outlined above by Friday June 27, so we can collate our report.
- Please send your thoughts to: NPA@npanet.org.uk
NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson said: “We are delighted that Minette has been appointed to this role and we see it as a real opportunity to drive change. So, we urge members to please make your view known so we can present a strong case for the pig sector.”