Plans to boost productivity and grow food and farming exports by more than £7 billion were announced by the Prime Minister, as he visited the Royal Welsh Show this week.
Under existing inspection regimes, a tangle of 7 regulators carry out more than 125,000 farm inspections a year to England’s 250,000 farms – taking up valuable time and limiting the potential of the farming industry to grow further. Streamlining the process, and making better use of the technology and data, will radically reduce the number of inspections. And by summer 2016, farmers will only have to deal with one Single Farm Inspection Taskforce which will combine farm visits with mandatory checks. It will also use the latest technology to streamline the approach to inspections – for example using satellite data to analyse different crop types in fields.
These changes will also help to create more than £7 billion worth of new opportunities, identified by the CBI, to drive up food and drink exports from the whole of the UK to countries outside the EU, including India, China and Brazil, creating more rural jobs, bringing greater investment to local communities and growing the British economy. This will build on more than 600 markets opened since 2010 – securing access for lamb to China alone could be worth a potential £60 million to our economy. Use of the GREAT brand to promote UK food and drink abroad will also be increased.
Prime Minister David Cameron said "Farming and food production are a fundamental part of our rural economy. As a one nation government, we will keep on backing British farmers to grow and sell more home-grown food by liberating them from red tape and opening up new multi-million pound export markets"
In addition, the creation of a new UK-wide Food Innovation Network will give small and medium-sized businesses greater access to existing world-leading technology and science, helping them innovate and grow.Examples of science that would benefit smaller business include research with Unilever at Aberystwyth University to develop grains less harmful for people with type-2 diabetes. This is a ground-breaking project which shows how our UK food innovation can lead the way on the international stage and open the door for many smaller producers to export more.
Welcoming the announcment, NFU President Meurig Raymond said "We welcome the prospect of simplification of the regulatory regime which should remove barriers to growth and encourage investment - as well as reducing costs at a time of falling commodity prices"
