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Gills election wish
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By Alistair Driver
NFU president Ben Gill presented politicians at this weeks NFU annual general meeting in London with an urgent wish-list for the farming industry. With a General Election expected in May, farming must be a core part of the agenda for the next government, Mr Gill told delegates at the Park Lane Hilton Hotel.
The General Election Challenge asks prospective candidates to support 14 policies which the NFU believes are vital for a successful farming industry.
It calls for an economic policy which avoids excessive currency fluctuations and addresses the effects of an overvalued £ which has devalued farm subsidies and made food exports difficult.
The document also calls for the removal of red tape and an end to the "gold-plating" of European legislation by central government and local authorities. Proposals for "green taxes", such as the Climate Change Levy and a pesticides tax, which the NFU believes will hit farmers hard and bring no environmental gain, should be scrapped, it says.
Mr Gill said the two-day event was a key opportunity to push farming to the fore of the political agenda. He added: " These are just some of the issues on which we need action…. Rural issues will be crucial in many constituencies. With the General Election Challenge we aim to ensure our voice is listened to."
Six ministers
The NFU conference was attended by six ministers and MPs, including agriculture minister Nick Brown, shadow agriculture minister Tim Yeo, and Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy. Junior farm minister Joyce Quin, Lib-Dem rural affairs spokesman Colin Breed, and Welsh shadow first secretary Ieuan Wynne Jones also attended.
In a speech at the end of the conference, Mr Gill urged delegates to fight back against unfair criticism and slay the myth that farmers destroy the countryside. A leaflet outlining ways in which farmers have boosted the environment will be made available to NFU members.
"It is deeply disturbing that societys relations with farming are distorted by so many myths," said Mr Gill.
fighting talk…Ben Gill told delegates to slay the myths.