Opinion: Back British Farming Day comes at a vital time for Hertfordshire’s farmers

The national spotlight is set to shine on our farmers and growers shortly with Back British Farm Day just around the corner.

The NFU’s annual flagship rallying call for political backing and continued public support takes place on Wednesday, September 10, and it comes during a period of many challenges.

Speaking to farmers across the county regularly as NFU Hertfordshire Chair, and as a mixed farmer at Royston myself, I can see the range of issues facing our industry.

I am passionate about supporting the NFU’s efforts to find solutions.

The driest spring in more than 100 years has seriously impacted many farms.

With increasing certainty, periods of hot dry weather are often followed by heavy rain, leading to severe flooding, further hampering farmland and our ability to produce food.

We need the government to work with us to help build resilience to enable farmers to better prepare for these extreme weather events.

The NFU’s Stop the Family Farm Tax campaign continues as we urge the government to reconsider its seriously miscalculated inheritance tax plans, which threaten the very future of many small and medium-sized family farms in Hertfordshire and across the country, as well as the entire rural economy and our ability to deliver national food security.

We are not alone in our criticism of the policy.

Independent research centre CenTax has just published a report which states the inheritance tax changes will not achieve the government’s goal of tackling the issue of people buying farmland to avoid paying tax. The report adds that farmers will be disproportionately impacted by the changes.

The Efra Committee concluded the inheritance tax proposals are not fit for purpose, the Office for Budget Responsibility stated they leave elderly farmers horribly exposed with no time to make necessary changes to their businesses and rural business leaders continue to highlight the devastating impact the family farm tax could have on the entire rural economy.

Elsewhere, concerns are growing over the future of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), the government’s flagship scheme to reward environmentally friendly farming and nature recovery. Broad access across the industry is desperately needed.

Rural crime continues to be a major issue and the fight to ensure farmers get fair deals from supermarkets goes on.

The NFU works hard to tackle these challenges and more, engaging with key stakeholders and harnessing the outstanding public support for our farmers.

I feel that support from the people of Hertfordshire on a regular basis and this is hugely appreciated.

The public fully appreciate how vital farming is to Hertfordshire.

Defra figures show that farming contributes more than £160m to the economy in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire and provides jobs for more than 2,500 people in Hertfordshire.

In addition, farmers are always there to help the public in their time of need, not hesitating to get out in tractors to rescue people stranded in floods and snowstorms

Furthermore, many farmers volunteer their time to go into schools to help to educate children about where their food comes from, adding a whole new perspective to their learning experiences.

Our dedicated farmers need and deserve support and on Back British Farming Day our farming leaders will engage with MPs on some of the big political issues.

MPs will again be encouraged to wear a wool and wheat-pin badge as a show of support for Britain’s farmers.

The government said loud and clear that “food security is national security.”

Now it must prove that those are not just empty words with all government departments recognising the importance of British food and farming.

The Treasury must listen to the multiple reasoned arguments that say it has got inheritance tax changes wrong, engage properly with the NFU and make changes while it still can.

Defra needs to release details on SFI soon to enable farmers and growers to plan.

By doing this, the government can demonstrate that it truly understands the critical link between our farmers’ ability to feed our nation and keeping its residents healthy and safe, amid growing geopolitical tensions and a worsening climate crisis.

The public can support us, too, by helping the NFU to spread the word about why farming is so important to your communities.

Write to your MPs, tell your friends and family, help us spread positive messages about farming in the press and on social media and, where possible, buy British.

Hertfordshire has a proud farming history.

With political backing and continued public support, Hertfordshire’s farmers and growers can have a positive future.