Make farming’s voice heard with MPs
Farmers need to make sure their voices are heard by MPs, otherwise they will lose by default on important issues, warned NFU director general Andy Robertson this week.
MPs’ postbags had been heavy with anti badger cull letters, he said at the South of England Agricultural Society’s farming conference. It was also important to get MPs on to farm whenever possible.
Former minister Jim Paice said that time constraints meant it was difficult to get MPs to farms and urged farmers to make more use of MPs’ surgeries to get their message across.
“Go to their surgeries, even if it means you only get 10 or 15 minutes – they can hardly refuse. Go in with a serious important message, refine the message to one or two points and offer some solutions for what can be done.”
MPs who were invited to attend farmer meetings often expected to be moaned at – offering an answer would be more constructive than simply presenting farming’s problems, said Mr Paice.
He also criticised as absurd the use of good land to grow maize and sugar beet purely for AD plant feedstock.
Energy costs, disease, animal welfare issues and achieving fair competition in agricultural markets were identified by speakers as key challenges. These ran alongside the need for markets which work properly, attracting new entrants and good staff, the ability to take up new technology and a reduction in red tape.
NFU says farmers must win over public on badger cull