NFU president Minette Batters has warned that further shortages on supermarket shelves could continue after a recent union survey revealed that farmer confidence is at its lowest in three years.
Almost 90% of farmers said they are being negatively affected by high input costs such as energy, fuel and fertiliser and 82% reported that the phasing out of current farming support payments is knocking business confidence.
The survey also revealed that 72% are being negatively affected by regulation and legislation, with 55% intending to engage in one or more environmental land management schemes, down from 68% last year.
Lack of farmer confidence impacting industry
This lack of confidence is impacting the horticulture, livestock and poultry sectors the greatest, with shortages on supermarket shelves including eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.
NFU president Minette Batters said it is ”shocking but not surprising” that the farmer confidence survey is reporting the lowest levels since the pandemic started.
“During this time, we have experienced a global pandemic, a war in Europe, tumultuous political change and extreme weather,” said Ms Batters.
“If this lack of confidence and uncertainty is allowed to continue during such challenging times, it has the potential to lead to further shortages on supermarket shelves.
“We know from experience that low confidence indicates that farmers don’t have the means to invest in their food producing businesses, which could result in little to no growth in our domestic food security at a time when we need it most.
“It is also at odds with the government’s own plans for growth, and the commitments made by prime minister Rishi Sunak last year to support British farming by setting a target for the nation’s food security, with a statutory duty to report on domestic food levels.”
‘Farmers need to know that government is supporting them’
Ms Batters said that as well as food security, energy security is crucial to our national with 38% of British farmers currently using or producing renewable energy.
“As an industry we have a huge ambition to increase this but confidence in the future is deterring farmers from making this important investment,” she added.
“Farmers need to know that government is supporting them through policies that build profitability and resilience into farm businesses to allow us to unlock a thriving food and farming industry.
“For this we need to see clarity on future farming support policies, including the environmental land management schemes, which will help farmers plan ahead and build financial resilience into their businesses.”
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