TALKING POINT
TALKING POINT
Converting the Curry
vision of the modern
farming industry into
practical policies is
the big challenge
ahead, says
Margaret Beckett
AFTER the nightmare of foot-and-mouth, our food and farming industries needed a clear vision for the future. The excellent report by Sir Don Currys Commission provides that vision.
The vision was of a sustainable, diverse, modern and adaptable farming industry, integrated fully with the rest of the food chain; an industry which develops the economy of rural areas while protecting and enhancing the environment. But we need to make things happen. That means the whole of the food and farming industries which together account for about one in eight of all the countrys jobs.
I say we advisedly. Many of its recommendations are not for the government alone and some not for government at all. They fall on the shoulders of all in food and farming.
The challenge is to convert the vision into practical policies and action in partnership with those industries.
By holding a seminar at Downing Street, the Prime Minister has launched a period of intensive engagement between government and those sectors which will take in each region of the country and each section of the industry.
I, my fellow ministers at DEFRA and senior officials intend to be extremely active in this process by attending regional seminars, meeting interested groups at national level and sifting through written contributions.
Once that process is over, we will launch a strategy for sustainable food and farming to help deliver on the key themes identified by the policy commission. The priorities identified in the strategy will draw on the engagement process and will need to be framed within the outcome of this summers spending review. Of course, I will want to ensure the money available from this review is used to best effect.
There are some urgent issues we can move ahead with now;
• Launch of a new Food Chain Centre, led by industry, with government financial support, to increase food chain efficiency.
• A new scheme which will provide grants of £5m over 12 months for projects to improve marketing performance and competitiveness, targeting collaborative ventures and assurance schemes.
• Award of £1.5m grant to the red meat sector under DTIs Industry Forum Adaptation Initiative to raise productivity, improve the sectors supply chain and boost competitiveness.
• An industry-led initiative to promote increased collaboration and co-operation among producers.
• A pilot network of demonstration farms to be put in place by the end of the year, to disseminate best practice in profitable and environmentally friendly farming.
• An organic food and farming action plan to be in place by July to help farmers respond effectively to the growing demand for high-quality organic food.
A steering document is available from DEFRA and on our website which asks what I believe are the key questions raised by the Policy Commission. Some, such as on modulation are controversial. The commissions proposal on this needs thinking through, for example what would the money be spent on and what impact would it have on the industrys competitiveness?
We should also consider how farmers could get closer to their markets. What practical steps can the industry take and how can government help?
By working through the practicalities over the coming months, I hope that we can drive forward the changes we all want to see and create a thriving rural economy, while maintaining and enhancing our environment.