Experts in farming, business and education have today published their review into the opportunities and barriers faced by people starting careers in British farming.

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The Future of Farming group, which was introduced by farming minister David Heath at the Oxford Farming conference in January, published their conclusions on Tuesday. They set out a range of recommendations for attracting new entrants of all ages into farming.  

In the Future of farming review report, the group suggests farming must fundamentally change its image in order to attract newcomers. They suggest forward-thinking farmers and industry leaders must portray farming as "modernised, innovative and embracing [of] new technology" if they wish to address the demographic challenges the sector faces.

Across Europe as a whole, the average age of the farming population is rising. Land prices, too, are prohibitively expensive, and many young or first generation farmers are unable to strike out on their own. These problems, the group maintains, will have to be solved in order to strengthen the workforce.    

The group is made up of representatives of farming and interest groups, the agricultural press, banking and legal firms. Over the last six months members gathered ideas and views from within the agriculture industry and associated sectors.

The review's recommendations include:

• better promotion of the breadth of employment opportunities in farming;
• more advice for farmers on succession and retirement planning;
• better provision of affordable housing in rural areas;
• promoting farming as a highly skilled professional career; and
• the industry taking greater responsibility for training including business skills for new entrants.

The report recommends the industry take greater responsibility for training and attracting new entrants, but its authors said outside help will also be needed in areas such as education and skills development, routes into the industry, housing and finding ways to access finance. The group added that many initiatives aimed at helping new entrants overlap or are too limited in scope.

They also said efforts must be made to induct new people in by addressing the view of farming as a 'closed shop'. The report warns that first generation farmers are outnumbered more than ten to one by family operations, which the group pointed out "can deter new entrants who are not from a farming background, but do have enthusiasm, fresh ideas and business skills." They said farmers must be more open to apprenticeships but also counselled that the loss of Local Authority farms and the role they play "is concerning."

Announcing the publication, review chairman David Fursdon of the South West Rural and Farming Network said "We have gathered views from all areas of the agricultural sector and from across the country and thank those organisations for sharing their wealth of knowledge and expertise. We are calling for the farming industry to take more responsibility for its own future and for the Government to support them in doing so."

Farming Minister David Heath also commented on Tuesday, "There is a wealth of career options in farming and it is vital that we are able to attract the brightest and best to fill these roles. To do this we need to break down some of the misconceptions and practical barriers."

The Future of Farming group concluded, "There is no real market failure demanding a major intervention, but there are positive steps that could be taken in a number of areas. Complacency is not an option; ensuring the right workforce is critical to the future success of the industry."

The report is available here