A strengthened approach to farming as announced by Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed, at today’s Oxford Farming Conference, has been welcomed by the National Sheep Association (NSA), but further detail will be required to ascertain the future impact any forthcoming reform could have on the UK sheep sector.

Speaking to farmers and landowners at the conference, Steve Reed set out the Government’s long-term vision of how the Government is aiming to work with farmers to deliver a profitable farming sector and unlock rural growth.

NSA Chief Executive Phil Stocker says: “Whilst NSA does not agree fully with recent Government decisions such as the changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR), inheritance tax and National Insurance payments, which I fear will stifle the growth the government claims to be looking for, I can sense this Government is now trying to create a fresh approach to put farming on a stronger footing. The Secretary of State speech today outlined a few reforms, all of which NSA supports but the detail of which is not clear enough to ascertain what impact it will have for sheep farming in Britain – one of our most sustainable, natural, and multi-functional farming sectors.

“For example, the intention to back British produce through public procurement contracts is a great step forward, but how this will impact sheepmeat we cannot be sure of. The most relevant likely planning reforms to benefit sheep farming would be measures to incentivise a more accessible network of abattoirs and markets to allow sheep farmers the most convenient and competitive market access. We are currently seeing the issues created by not enough abattoirs and markets through livestock movement restrictions enforced due to the ongoing Bluetongue situation.

“My views on diversifying income streams through energy production and potentially private/blended finance are that there should be a national government controlled body to equitably share ‘offsetting credits’ such as carbon credits and biodiversity net gain, with these funds adding to the coffers to support our future farming schemes.

“NSA fully supports the intention to better protect farmers through future trade deals and welcomes the opening of the work on the new Trade Strategy. We desperately need to see some real action to improve the economic opportunities for Britain’s farmers and this includes putting a real value on the wide range of public goods delivered by our upland and grassland farmers.”

Secretary of State Steve Reed has previously stated that the industry will not always agree on how the government aims to improve the economic situation of farmers, but NSA believes it is crucial that the sector soon starts to see the results of the measures the government is putting in place.

Mr stocker concludes: “The Farming Roadmap, the Land Use Strategy, and the Trade Strategy need fleshing out quickly and they need to align with and not contradict our commitments to nature, natural resources and the climate.”