‘Once in a generation chance to make a difference’ on offer

Brexit: Challenge of less support and more competition

Farmers in the UK need to become more ambitious about driving productivity in agriculture – starting by acknowledging that they aren’t the best food producers in the world.

Peter Kendall, AHDB chairman, said the creation of a domestic food and farming policy offered a “golden opportunity” for the agriculture sector to lead changes in the way it operates. However it needed farmers to recognise there were areas where they lagged behind other producers and other countries before improvements could be made.

Speaking at an AHDB and Food and Farming Futures conference on innovative and disruptive technologies, Sir Peter said growth in UK farm productivity had significantly lagged behind other countries such as the Netherlands and the United States in recent years.

With the likely challenges of increased competition and less support postBrexit, business as usual was not an option if UK agriculture was going to be more productive, competitive and sustainable.

As a member of the government’s Food and Drink Sector Council, which is working to find ways to drive the country’s agricultural productivity, Sir Peter said farmers needed to understand how they compared to other producers both domestically and internationally.

“Every farm has challenges, but we need to be realistic, honest and work together to make changes.”

Sir Peter said that the wide-ranging membership of the Food and Drink Sector Council showed that the government was serious about working collaboratively and providing support to help drive change.

“If Defra uses whatever Brexit dividend there is to drive the change that’s needed at farm level, including collaboration and funding around the key technologies, then this is a once in a generation chance to make a difference.”

Picture: Getty. Growth in UK farm productivity has significantly lagged behind other countries such as the US.