David's Digest

NFU President Peter Kendall was on the Radio 4 programme "BH" this morning welcoming Tesco's decison to increase the price of milk. He said it was encouraging that a major retailer had recognised the need to pay more to help save the dairy industry. And he added that he hoped UK consumers would now accept the benefits of home production and buy locally. I may not have used his exact words - I was in the shower at the time and its difficult to make notes.
But when asked if he claimed UK food (specifically organic, I think) was more environmentally friendly than that which is imported he hesitated and said no he didn't think that. He just asked people to remember that UK food was subject to rigorous inspection. He seemed reluctant to remind listeners about food miles. Indeed he was clearly at pains not to be perceived to be complaining by telling it how flying produce around the world must add to global warming, never mind doubts over the provenance of some imports.
Minutes later a listener sent in a text message asking why consumers should believe such stories from the industry that gave us Foot & Mouth disease. By which time it was too late for Peter to respond as his link to the Cambridge studio had ended. I ask, not for the first time, if the farming message might have been more effective if the NFU had been a bit more agressive and told the whole story - not just the most palatable bits.
Yesterday morning Meurig Raymond was on the Radio 4 farming programme talking about government plans to share the costs of infectious diseases. He too seemed almost hesitant to mention that F&M was imported, not generated in Britrain.