New MPs enrol on NFU farming fellowship scheme

Twenty MPs from across the three major political parties have enrolled on an industry programme to expand their knowledge of British food and the farming industry.

The year-long fellowship has been designed to help newly elected MPs learn more about the full food supply chain and the journey from farm to fork.

The NFU will lead the project and has partnered with a number of industry stakeholders to help deliver it, including ABP, Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC), Arla Foods, Barfoots, the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) and Fareshare.

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The group is made up of 15 Labour, three Liberal Democrat, and two Conservative politicians.

NFU president Tom Bradshaw said: “The NFU engages with all political parties to ensure they understand the importance of boosting home-grown food production as well as the work farmers and growers carry out caring for the environment, providing a home for nature and finding solutions to the challenges of climate change.

“Our Food and Farming Fellowship scheme is an extension of that campaigning work and has been designed to create a new group of champion MPs who will speak up in their constituencies but also in Westminster on some of the big issues affecting an industry which forms the backbone of the UK’s largest manufacturing sector – food and drink – contributing more than £146bn to the economy.”

Mr Bradshaw added that the fellowship would provide MPs with the tools, knowledge and understanding needed to highlight “the critical role of food security in delivering national security and the growth and investment required for the future of British farming.”

The NFU will host a graduation dinner for the MPs in Westminster at the end of the programme.