Western Daily Press (Saturday)
TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP UK FARMING
GPS soil sampling, remote sensing technology and even autonomous vehicles - they are all terms which would have been meaningless to farmers only a generation ago.
But today they are coming to the forefront of farming minds as technology makes ‘ phenomenal progress’ in the field and plays a growing role in sustaining the supply of food in the UK, says NFU president Minette Batters.
Mrs Batters, appointed to the role in February, is pleased to see the industry embracing new and updated ways of working which she hopes will ensure levels of food production can be maintained.
This is at a time research suggests one in five UK farmers are planning to diversify due to loss of direct subsidies after the UK leaves the EU - most to convert land use for renewable energy.
Speaking to the Western Daily Press, Wiltshire-based Mrs Batters said: “We are now in a position where we, as farmers, are able to do things better than before.
“With new technology farming is changing at a fast rate and it is helping us produce more, whether that be from crops of livestock.
“Robotics are bringing in precision farming which is making production more efficient and focused.
“It means we can better meet the growing demand for organic food and we can maintain overall food production.
“There has been phenomenal progress in technology for farming, and I expect that to continue.”
According to Government figures, half of food consumed in the UK is produced in the country.
The leading foreign supplier of food in the UK is the EU with 30 per cent, followed by Africa, Asia, and North and South America which each provide four per cent.
As uncertainty surrounds the outcome of a Brexit deal put forward by Theresa May on Wednesday, the figures show the importance of a maintained production of food from within the UK.
Mrs Batters said: “Farmers are all hopeful over a deal which is favourable and that Parliament takes seriously its responsibility to protect farming in this country.
“I want to make clear that a no deal is unacceptable. We have been saying this for over two years.”
Mrs Batters hopes the introduction of an Agriculture Bill will go someway to protecting the industry. She has been heavily involved in the scrutiny of the bill, which had its second reading in Parliament last month.
She said: “British farmers will need to compete with farmers all over the world, nearly all of whom are supported financially to produce food. If British farmers are to under- pin the nation’s food security, then they will need the right financial and policy framework to do so.”
She added: “A free and frictionless trade deal with our biggest trading partner, the EU, is absolutely critical to the farming industry.”
Aside from trading abroad, Mrs Batters wants to continue to raise the profile of UK-produced food within these borders.
She backed and is pleased with the progress of the Red Tractor campaign, a food assurance scheme that looked at production standards on safety, hygiene, animal welfare and food production.
Mrs Batters said: “I think there is an enormous demand for British food. People want to support the UK’s farming industry which must also continue to promote its great, high quality food.
“As we approach a time of uncertainty it is more important than ever to show unity, share ideas and show off the produce we produce.”