Latest news with #CountrysideAlliance
Telegraph
20-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Starmer's EU deal ‘risks undercutting farmers'
Sir Keir Starmer's EU deal risks undercutting British farmers, rural groups have warned. The UK has secured a veterinary agreement with the bloc in a Swiss-style deal that removes border checks and red tape on agri-food, making it easier to trade with EU countries. Farming groups have cautiously welcomed measures to make it easier to export goods across the border, but warned that it could lead to a flooding of the markets of EU imports. Concerns have also been raised about accepting dynamic alignment on plant and animal health laws, which means growers will be subject to European Court of Justice decisions. Mo Metcalf-Fisher, director of external affairs at Countryside Alliance, warned this could mean 'lower quality' EU imports could crowd out British farmers. 'There are of course benefits to selling more of our fantastic produce abroad and we should seize those opportunities with gusto,' he said. 'But we should avoid a situation where cheaper and lower quality imports flood our markets, undercutting our own farmers and hampering our ability to promote the importance of buying local, seasonal, Great British produce'. The Prime Minister claimed at the UK-EU summit on Monday that the deal will result in 'lower food prices at the checkout' as a result of making trade easier. Last month, Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, rejected calls to launch a 'Buy British' campaign in response to Donald Trump 's trade war, telling MPs she did not want an 'inward-looking' approach. She added it was up to consumers to decide what to purchase at supermarkets. It comes after a series of unpopular decisions by Labour that affect the farming industry, in particular the scrapping of agricultural property relief (APR). The inheritance tax reform introduced by the Chancellor means agricultural assets worth more than £1 million, which were previously exempt, will be liable to the 20 per cent tax. Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers' Union, told the farming minister on Tuesday at the Future Countryside conference 'the last 10 months have led to a challenging environment' for the sector. Daniel Zeichner said: 'I appreciate how painful and difficult that has been. 'I can probably share with you that it hasn't been the easiest time for me either, because that wasn't the way in which I wanted our relationship to start in Government. 'But again, I have to say that Treasury colleagues were faced with a range of very, very difficult choices in terms of economic inheritance.' The measure has prompted accusations that Labour does not understand rural communities, a sentiment that had doubled among voters in the six months since the general election. The deal announced on Monday was welcomed by some farming groups, who have long pushed for a relaxing of red tape when trading with the EU. The Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement agreed by the Government is expected to shorten waiting times for trucks carrying fresh produce across the border. Some routine checks on plant and animal products will be removed and British burgers and sausages will once more be allowed into the EU. Ian Rickman, president of the Farmers' Union of Wales, said the new agreement should 'open the door to ensuring that both food imports and exports are subject to similar controls which provides a level playing field between UK and EU producers'. But he added: 'Whilst at face value our plant and animal health requirements align with EU standards, we must consider how this may place the UK in a challenging position in future as it no longer has the power, as a formal Member State, to influence European rules and will have to accept the EU's Court of Justice's jurisdiction on the way they are applied.'
Telegraph
11-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Labour's cuts to farming subsidies ‘threaten wildlife'
Labour's cuts to farming subsidies will threaten wildlife and damage attempts to protect the rural environment, countryside campaigners have warned. They fear that cuts in the payments could see farmers being forced to work their land more intensively to make up the shortfall. The Government has announced that the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) – which rewards farmers for managing their land in a way that benefits the environment – is to be revised after the spending review in June. This will see a cap placed on how much money farmers can receive. Farmers and rural groups have warned the result will be to further endanger wildlife, their habitat and the environment, such as hedges and woodland. Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, told The Telegraph: 'With no guarantee of income for work to improve the environment many are having to take the difficult decision to revert to more intensive farming operations to generate enough money to keep their businesses afloat. 'Ministers need to understand that the delivery of environmental benefits requires farms to be economically sustainable. Short term financial decisions like the closure of SFI will have huge consequences for the future of the countryside. 'Many generational farms with an absolute commitment to conservation and restoring biodiversity are already reeling from the Government's changes to inheritance tax. This new uncertainty over agri-environmental payments means their business plans are in tatters.' David Exwood, deputy president of the National Farmers' Union, added: 'Fields that may have gone into non-farm use – such as a buffer strip or for winter bird seeds – won't happen. Farmers can't now leave those fields empty, because they are not going to get the subsidy which was paying for an environmental good any more. Without it there will be a direct impact on the environment.' Nearly 95 per cent of farmers had been planning to make new applications to the SFI, which aims to encourage sustainable food production while protecting and enhancing nature, before they were unexpectedly closed, according to a survey by the Country Land and Business Association. Under the SFI, which had run since 2021, farmers were eligible to receive payments from the Government for carrying out sustainable work. They could apply to any of over one hundred contracts, which included measures like hedgerow maintenance, soil analysis, reducing insecticide use and managing grasslands. These replaced payments made under the EU's Common Agricultural Policy which were based on the amount of land farmed and tended to encourage intensive farming. In some cases SFI payments were modest, such as £257 a year for pond management. Others were more lucrative and went some way to make up for low prices paid by supermarkets for farmers' produce. They also compensated for the scrapping of the old Basic Payment Scheme, which provided a vital supplement for hill farmers and crofters. Joe Evans, vice president of the Country Land and Business Association said: 'The UK Government rightly replaced subsidies with new schemes that pay farmers to transition farming practices to becoming more sustainable, as well as providing direct environmental benefits. 'The transition was going well, with more and more farmers planning their futures around nature-friendly food production. In closing the biggest scheme without a word of warning, trust that the Government is acting in good faith has been damaged. '40 per cent of our members weren't in the scheme but were planning to apply. 'This will cause a major cash flow crisis for thousands of businesses who have already been hit hard by other policy changes; but perhaps even more fundamentally, will stall progress in reversing nature decline and climate change. 'Without it, farmers will have to do what they need to do to survive – which may include farming much more intensively, harming the goal of sustainable food production.' Farmers have told The Telegraph they fear the cuts in environmental subsidies will have a dire impact on their attempts to safeguard nature. Annie Brown, a third-generation arable and livestock farmer in the South Downs, said her small family farm will suffer if their SFI payments end. Ms Brown's farm currently receives £50,000 a year in SFI payments, but these contracts are set to run out by 2027. 'This is the death knell of a lot of family farms,' she warned. 'We are resilient and we don't take much out of the business, but we need some support, and we need to know it'll be there for the foreseeable future. 'It takes us from actually making some money which we invest in the business to going cap in hand to the bank. 'The tapestry of our countryside is really under threat at the moment. You batten down the hatches, you don't invest. Some farmers will go under.' Ms Brown, 65 prides herself on taking a regenerative approach to farming on the 625 hectare holding she runs with her sister Pauline. But she says they will have to stop some of the sustainable measures which SFI payments allowed them to do, like soil sampling. 'The old adage of farmers in the red can't be green is true,' she said. The Government defended the changes to the sustainable farming subsidies. A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs said: 'We inherited farming schemes which were underspent, with farms missing out on millions of pounds. 'This Government is investing £5 billion into farming – the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country's history. 'We now have a record number of farmers into schemes and more money being paid to farms than ever before. 'Every penny in all existing SFI agreements will be paid to farmers, and the Government will reopen a new and improved SFI scheme with more details coming this summer.'
Telegraph
09-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
US trade deal milking farmers dry, NFU tells Starmer
Agriculture has been forced to 'shoulder the burden' of the US trade deal so that other sectors of the economy benefit from reduced tariffs, farmers have claimed. Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers' Union, accused Sir Keir Starmer of using agriculture as a 'pawn' in his negotiations with Donald Trump and said that farmers must not be milked dry in future negotiations just to save the car and steel industries. As part of the trade deal, announced on Thursday, the UK and the US agreed to cut tariffs to zero on beef imports and exports, making it much easier for American beef to flood the market. Farmers have had a fractious relationship with Labour since last year, when Rachel Reeves removed an exemption on inheritance tax for family-run farms. The Chancellor scrapped agricultural property relief, and said farmers would have to pay 20 per cent inheritance tax on agricultural assets over £1 million. While the trade deal will make it easier for the UK to sell farm goods in the US, British farmers are concerned that they will be squeezed out of the market by a flood of potentially substandard American imports. The Countryside Alliance demanded that Britain introduce rules to ensure that US beef is properly labelled as such when sold in the UK, to give consumers choice. Meanwhile, the Save British Farming campaign group claimed low-quality beef could still enter the UK because the country's borders are not strong enough to keep it out. The Government insisted there will be no watering down of food standards, with imports of hormone-treated beef or chlorinated chicken still barred. Farmers have also raised concerns because the deal allows the importation of US ethanol, potentially affecting the viability of domestic bioethanol production. In an article for The Telegraph, Mr Bradshaw, who has served as NFU president since last year, welcomed the fact that the US trade deal allows farmers to sell their beef in the US, what struck him most was that 'agriculture is shouldering much of the burden to enable the removal of tariffs for other parts of the economy'. He warned of the 'huge strain farm businesses are already under' and the 'with confidence at an all-time low and investment dropping day by day, our sector has little more it can give', adding that 'while we understand we had a role to play in this initial deal, our government must also understand that food and farming cannot continue to shoulder any more on behalf of our wider economy in future negotiations'. The deal also states the US can send up to 1.4 billion litres to the UK without paying tariffs. Mr Bradshaw said this could harm the UK's bioethanol industry, which makes the chemical in an environmentally-friendly way from wheat. 'We need answers on these fronts, and quickly,' wrote Mr Bradshaw. Labour has been accused of alienating rural voters with its decision to impose inheritance tax on family farms. Angry farmers have disrupted Labour events with tractor protests in a bid to persuade the party to change the rules. Tim Bonner, the chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said: 'The Government must ensure that the beef coming into the UK is properly labelled, to ensure British consumers can choose fairly between British and American beef. 'UK beef is a premium product, the cattle is grass reared. We think that if British consumers are given the choice, they will plum for British beef. 'There are already huge concerns over inheritance tax and the future of family farms, and we need real clarity on environmental payment schemes. 'It is impossible for people to make plans for the future because they don't know where the government wants to go.' Food and farming cannot shoulder any more on behalf of future negotiations By Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers' Union Agriculture is often used as a pawn around the trade negotiation table. The deal with the US was no different and there was a lot at stake. Our key concern, echoed by the British public, was around food safety, animal welfare and environmental production standards. Back in 2020 when it last looked like a deal was on the cards, more than a million people backed our call for the Government to prevent imports of food into the UK which have been produced in ways which are illegal here. No one wants to see hormone-treated beef or chicken treated with anti-microbial washes sold on our market. Those ways of production were banned in the 1980s and 1990s for a reason – they don't reflect our values and the farm to fork approach we are proud of in the UK. This is something we've been pressing to governments for years, and we appreciate this government holding firm on its commitments not to undermine our high standards in this deal. America has long pushed to send more of its produce to the UK. Even if they did meet our standards, we couldn't face another deal like Australia or New Zealand which will completely liberalise access to our beef market and other sensitive sectors, with minimal benefit for our own farmers. While we may see an increase in US non hormone-treated beef coming into the UK, from an annual average of around 46 tonnes up to 14,000 tonnes once this deal is ratified, the mitigating factor is that we will be able to send similar quantities to America. This is new market access for British beef, something the NFU lobbied strongly for. Years of campaigning with the UK's agricultural attaché in Washington for greater market access for British beef – a product globally respected for its quality and strong environmental credentials – have finally paid off. But it's still not altogether clear what this deal means for our home-grown food sector and our farmers. A key question is around the inclusion of ethanol in the deal, which states the US can send up to 1.4 billion litres of ethanol to the UK tariff-free. Up to 15 per cent of our lower-quality specification wheat is sent to biofuel plants to make this more environmentally-friendly fuel. Many arable farmers will be concerned that an increase in US exports could impact the viability of domestic bioethanol production, the availability of valuable animal feeds made in the biofuel refining process and the availability of CO2 gas that is vital elsewhere across the food industry. We need answers on these fronts, and quickly. But what has struck me most about this deal, is that through these two sectors – beef and bioethanol – agriculture is shouldering much of the burden to enable the removal of tariffs for other parts of the economy. 'Farmers under strain' I completely understand that our government has been put in the unfavourable position of having to negotiate its way out of destructive 25 per cent tariffs on cars and steel and aluminium going into the US. I understand that there had to be concessions to reduce these. And given how the US has taken to throwing its weight around, I do think our government achieved as much balance as possible for the agricultural sector. But I wouldn't want anyone to overlook the huge strain farm businesses are already under. With confidence at an all-time low and investment dropping day by day, our sector has little more it can give. And as President Trump made very clear, this is only the start. This will not be the final deal by any stretch of the imagination. So while we understand we had a role to play in this initial deal, our government must also understand that food and farming cannot continue to shoulder any more on behalf of our wider economy in future negotiations.
South Wales Argus
06-05-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Monmouthshire butchers Bromfields and N.S James win big
Bromfields of Gilwern and N.S James of Raglan were praised at the ceremony in the Senedd. Bromfields, a family-run business in its 20th year, received a Highly Commended Award, while N.S James, established in 1959 and known for its locally sourced meat and on-site production, was named the Best Butcher in Wales. Peter Fox, Senedd Member for Monmouth, said: "It was a pleasure to attend the awards ceremony recently in the Senedd to celebrate our fantastic Welsh butchers. "It is an extra honour that I am able to celebrate the success of two Monmouthshire businesses, and I would like to congratulate both Bromfields on their award, and N.S James on being named the best in Wales." Rachel Evans, director for Wales at the Countryside Alliance, said: "The awards are very special as they celebrate our rural communities and the role that the finalists play in keeping them together. "Their continuing promotion and defence of Welsh produce, skills and rural life deserves all the credit it gets and the Countryside Alliance is proud to be honouring a group of people who are passionate about their countryside."
Powys County Times
01-05-2025
- Business
- Powys County Times
Pub near Powys town has been named the best in Wales
A Mid Wales pub was crowned champion in the Countryside Alliance Wales' 'Rural Oscars' ceremony while several other businesses were recognised. The Countryside Alliance Awards, in their 18th year, held an awards ceremony in Cardiff on April 29 and crowned several Wales businesses as champions, including a historic Mid Wales pub that was named best pub. Glan Yr Afon, in Pennal near Machynlleth, also known as The Riverside, was awarded the pub of the year prize after being nominated for the award earlier this year. The award also comes after the historic pub was saved from closure a few years ago when a community-led initiative, backed by Hollywood actor Matthew Rhys, managed to raise more than £250,000. Other Powys businesses who were recognised by finishing as runner ups or being highly commended in their categories include Rikki Lloyd 's Family Butchers in Welshpool, Gasm Drinks near Newtown, Fork Handles Tearoom in Llangedwyn, and Woosnam And Davies News in Llanidloes. A spokesperson for the Countryside Alliance said: 'This community pub was bought by the community for the community. Welshpool High School finances need 'significant improvement', auditors warn Powys community remembers talented craftsman who has died aged 67 Powys police called to A44 as two vehicles crash on road 'Its aim was to serve the needs of the locals and isolated farming families by providing a high-standard flexible facility open to every member of the Pennal community - and beyond. 'Trading began in 2023 after a difficult and challenging process, and progress has been fast and furious. Having managed to retain most of the staff, this has ensured continuous employment for many in this remote part of Wales. 'From Welsh lessons to the Thursday club for a group of men who meet weekly at the pub, this is a welcoming, vibrant place for all. 'The Glan Yr Afon under the leadership of Menter y Glan has become a poignant place for the community and is truly the beating heart of the area for locals. 'About to open in the garden is a chalet which is to become the village shop, stocking essentials and complementing the pub. From hosting speed shearing to local game shoots, this busy community pub has excelled to be crowned this year's Welsh champion.' Rachel Evans, Director for Countryside Alliance Wales, added: "This evening we celebrate our rural communities and the role that you, the finalists, play in keeping them together. "Your continuing promotion and defence of Welsh produce, skills and rural life deserves all the credit it gets and the Countryside Alliance is proud to be honouring a group of people who are passionate about their countryside and passionate about providing quality goods, services and employment to rural communities and beyond.'
