Jonathan has pledged to support the UK’s arable sector by raising the profile of its contribution to the nation’s economy, food supply, and environment.
At the #YourHarvest parliamentary event led by the National Farmers’ Union, Jonathan committed to visiting farmers in their constituency and working with them to champion the work farmers do in producing quality, safe and affordable food alongside maintaining and enhancing the environment.
The arable sector feeds into all areas of food and drink and plays an important role in the animal feed manufacturing sectors, contributing to:
- Wheat for the equivalent of 11 million loaves of bread every day;
- Over 20 million tonnes of grain for food and animal feed every year;
- Barley and malt for 985 million pints of beer exported in the past decade;
- Over 5 million tonnes of flour every year.
Jonathan: “A thriving arable sector is in the interest of all my constituents and every single person that eats British food. It is important that we fully appreciate how much the sector provides for the nation and I fully support this new initiative by the NFU.
“I am committed to working with the NFU to help deliver a Brexit that compliments the practicalities of food production, and allows the sector to flourish.”
Tom Bradshaw, Chair of the NFU’s National Crops Board said: “The UK arable sector has a brilliant story to tell and never has there been a more important time to tell it.
“That is why the NFU launched its #YourHarvest campaign – to work with MPs to deliver for a sector that is so important to food production and delivering environmental outcomes.”
The Prime Minister today set out her plans for a post-Brexit farming policy which works for farmers and food producers while improving the environment.
- The Government is committed to supporting the half a million people who work in agriculture and growing our world-leading food and drinks sector, which contributes over £100 billion to the UK economy.
- The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy – which awards subsidies based on the amount of land farmed – will be replaced with a new system of public money for public good.
- The Prime Minister commended our hard-working farmers up and down the UK, saying they deserve better than the ‘fundamentally flawed CAP system’, which is why we want to deliver a farming strategy which supports the whole industry.
