Kendall fires broadside at Pershore NFU conference
When Peter Kendall spoke at the Pershore NFU January Conference it must have been one of his last conference appearances before stepping down as president.
He took the opportunity to chide the Government for its short-sighted approach on many matters but particularly its attitude to food security and the role British agriculture could play.
He inisted politicians seem completely oblivious to the problems of even maintaining production let alone UK farmers being able to meet the increasing demand, while being inhibited by increasing environmental and other regulations, including the withdrawal of many agrochemicals.
"We are only producing some 60 per cent of the food being consumed," the president pointed out and warned that as the UK population increases that proportion could be reduced to 50 per cent or less within a few years.
"The Government should look at the problems of declining self-sufficiency," he said. "They are not doing much about it and there is not a single item in the CAP reform regarding self-sufficiency."
With the green green issues being addressed towards public opinion, CAP is not addressing the future and the president said there needs to be a shift in the CAP reform and the challenge is to get the British Government to take the lead in Europe.
He also stressed the role for research in meeting the challenge of increasing UK food production and the need for more investment in research and development.
He said that the investment by the major plant breeding companies in northern Europe had dropped from 33 per cent of their overall R&D spend to just seven per cent.
"The trading block Europe was looking backwards," he said.
There is a massive challenge to convince the public of the role of farming and the need for Government to encourage food production and provide the wherewithal for farmers to be able to re-invest," he said.
Turning to animal disease, Mr Kendall said TB "could destroy a lifetime's work".
"It is important to get over to the public the need to manage wildlife and make sure the media understands the situation," he stressed.
Turning to the anti-badger cull protesters sitting in the front row, he told them: "food production will not come from slaughtering thousands of TB infected cattle."