Next year will mark the fifth anniversary of the ground-breaking Health and Harmony consultation. The then DEFRA Secretary of State, Michael Gove, used it to champion the ‘once-in-a generation opportunity’ provided by Brexit to reform agriculture to create ‘a more rational, and sensitive agriculture policy which promotes environmental enhancement, supports profitable food production and contributes to a healthier society’. It talked about delivering fairness within food supply chains and capitalising on the prospects for driving exports of our high-quality food and drink to countries beyond the European Union.

“Measuring our progress towards meeting any of the strategic aims set out within Health and Harmony would be difficult if not impossible. Five years on we have barely advanced at all. In fact, in many ways, we have gone backwards. Of course, wider global and economic issues have impacted us in ways we could not have envisaged back in 2018. However, it is unforgivable that next year all recipients of Basic Payment Scheme payments will have seen them reduced by at least a third, with little chance of recovering that loss in income through new schemes, our trade deals will do more harm than good to our sector and there are moves afoot to pull back on the only effective tool in bringing fairness to food supply chains, the Groceries Code Adjudicator. This is hardly progress towards a more rational agricultural policy in England,” said Mr Coulman.

“Our new DEFRA Secretary of State must make it her New Year’s resolution to go back and reread the Health and Harmony consultation issued by her department in February 2018. In its response at the time, the TFA said it recognised the opportunity afforded by Brexit to put in place bespoke policies for food, farming and the countryside in the four countries of the United Kingdom. It committed to work collaboratively with the UK Government, the Devolved Administrations and other stakeholders to develop sustainable policies for food, farming and the environment creating resilient, profitable businesses working to high standards of food quality, environmental management and animal welfare,” said Mr Coulman.

“The TFA has been true to its word. We have dedicated a considerable amount of time, energy and other resources to working with Government towards the goals set out within Health and Harmony. Whilst late in the day, a major step forward was achieved in the publication of the Rock Review following the nine months of dedicated work by the Tenancy Working Group chaired by Baroness Kate Rock. Despite being delivered to Government in October, the report is sitting on Ministerial desks in DEFRA awaiting a formal response. At the same time, the wider industry awaits anything like a credible plan for advancing the ‘public payments for public goods’ agenda. Three lacklustre standards for the newly established Sustainable Farming Incentive, a vague promise to enhance Countryside Stewardship, a thin animal health and welfare offering and a tick box approach to new entrants is not much to show for all the effort that has gone in,” said Mr Coulman.

“If the Secretary of State can be enthused by rediscovering the Health and Harmony consultation, runs with the sensible recommendations of the Rock Review and cuts through the usual Whitehall and Westminster dither and delay we have a chance of recovering the situation. However, there can be no further delay. In the same way as, rail workers and Royal Mail staff who can vent their frustrations by withdrawing their labour, farmers are fast becoming disillusioned and disengaged by the lack of meaningful progress which will be a huge loss to us all,” said Mr Coulman.