Sedgefield's MP, Paul Howell, has today shown their support for British farming at Back British Farming Day in Westminster, recognising the crucial role farmers play in producing food and caring for the countryside.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) provided MPs with a Back British Farming wheat-pin badge to publicly display their support for the sector during Brexit negotiations and beyond leaving the EU.
Farming is the bedrock of the UK’s largest manufacturing sector – food and drink – which contributes over £110 billion to the economy and employs 3.8 million people.
Commenting, Paul Howell MP, said:
The farmers in Sedgefield work hard around the clock to keep great quality food on our plates. Our farmers are the engine of our rural economy, bringing jobs and opportunity to our area. I will always always back our farmers and the latest round of announcements recognise the importance of coordinated action across government to support confidence, investment and growth in British food. I look forward to my continued work with the Prime Minister, the Defra Secretary and the rest of the cabinet to Back British farming and bolster our domestic food security.
If you would like to find out more about how you can Back British Farming, you can join thousands of supporters of the NFU’s campaign here.
Recently, representatives from the whole food supply chain came together at 10 Downing Street for the summit, to identify further opportunities to boost growth, drive innovation and improve sustainability.
At the summit, the government confirmed a range of further new measures to help strengthen the long-term resilience and sustainability of the sector. Announcements include:
- The Prime Minister set out a new framework for trade negotiations: putting farmers’ interests at the heart of trade policy, committing to protect the UK’s high food and welfare standards and prioritise new export opportunities.
- £5.6 million additional investment to boost exports of great British food around the world: increasing global trade shows and missions, expanding the successful GREAT food and drink campaign, extending the Seafood Exports Package, and providing a bespoke export fund for the dairy sector
- £30 million investment to build on the new Genetic Technology Act: driving forward the use of precision breeding technologies and convening a working group to help produce from farms to the shelves.
- Using new powers to make sure farmers get a fair price for their produce in the egg and horticulture sectors: Following progress in the reviews of the dairy and pig supply chains utilising powers in the Agriculture Act, the next reviews will take place in the egg and horticulture sectors
- Confirming the future of support for horticulture: Confirming we will improve future support for horticulture by replacing the retained EU Fruit and Vegetable Producer Organisation Scheme when it closes in 2026 with an expanded offer as part of our new farming payment schemes.
To boost trade and export opportunities to get more British food on plates across the world, building on the £24 billion a year generated by our food and drink exports:
- Farmers’ interests will be put at the heart of trade policy through a new framework for trade negotiations, committing to protect the UK’s high food and welfare standards and prioritise new export opportunities. The Prime Minister has written an open letter to farmers today setting out how these new principles will help the industry benefit from the trade opportunities available to us outside the EU.
- The Government will invest £2m to boost its programme of global trade shows and missions, as well as providing £1.6m for the GREAT food and drink campaign.
- The Government will build on its existing overseas network with five additional agri-food and drink attaches who will spearhead the removal of restrictive market barriers
- The Government will extend funding to promote seafood exports around the world with an extra £1 million between 2025 and 2028, and create a new bespoke £1m programme to help dairy businesses, particularly SMEs, to seize export opportunities, particularly in the Asia pacific region.
The government will unlock the benefits of innovative technologies to strengthen our food security, cementing the UK’s leadership in this field through:
- Up to £30 million of investment to drive forward the use of precision breeding technologies, building on the £8 million already invested over the last five years and the passing of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act earlier this year
- The creation of a new working group – bringing together plant breeders, food manufacturers and retailers – to get produce from farms to the shelves.
The government will protect the interests of farmers by making sure they get a fair price for their produce:
- They are already using new powers under the Agriculture Act to improve transparency and contracts in the pork and dairy markets;
- They are now announcing additional reviews into fairness in the horticulture and egg supply chains, in light of the impact of global challenges on these sectors in particular.
- Recognising the unique role and needs of the sector, and listening to the calls from the NFU, FDF and others, the Grocery Code Adjudicator will not be merged with the Competition and Markets Authority, in recognition of its importance in ensuring our food supply chains function as they should.
The horticulture sector is worth £5 billion across the UK and the government will support the industry to boost production and extend the growing season by:
- Confirming we will improve future support for horticulture by replacing the retained EU Fruit and Vegetable Producer Organisation Scheme when it closes in 2026 with an expanded offer as part of our new farming payment schemes.
- This will be tailored to the needs of our domestic growers and will be more inclusive than the EU scheme, ensuring it is a good offer for glasshouses as well as other growers.
- Helping the controlled horticulture sector overcome barriers to accessing government schemes, including by looking at how the sector is classified
- Making it easier to build new glasshouses through changes to national planning policy
Further announcements to increase the resilience of the sector and support its growth include:
- Plans to cut the red tape currently holding farmers back from delivering projects on their land to diversify their incomes, such as repurposing farm buildings to use as shops, with a call for evidence later this year.
- Increasing water security by accelerating work on water supply infrastructure, so that farmers can count on steady access to water, including in periods of intense dry weather.