Bringing rural insights to townie MPs
The NFU continues to work on a host of policy issues across all sectors and the team is also busy with one-day shows across the region, more recently at Newport Show.
On the campaigning front our Home-grown Heartland event and MP reception in Westminster saw farmers, from Shropshire and our other counties, meet politicians to highlight the food and drink industry’s contribution to the economy, jobs, the environment and communities. The campaign reception saw members make the case to MPs and their advisers in the Jubilee Room, in Westminster Hall, to raise the profile of the food and drink sector in the region, from those farming the raw ingredients to the product on the shelves.
I took great pleasure and pride in showcasing the best of West Midlands’ farming and growing at the event, with such a passionate, eloquent and engaging group of members.
The MPs and their researchers whom we met seemed impressed by the reception they received and hopefully left as passionate advocates of our industry.
Notable was the number of MPs from very urban constituencies who attended and showed a desire to learn more and some will come out on to farms to see what our members do, to help build better links with the industry.
Local urban-centric politicians need to understand the role of rural farming businesses as the source to vital food supply chains, business and consumers in our cities.
On another note, the West Midlands next generation group and the regional board were welcomed for a visit to PDM Salad Growers at Newport.
Philip and wife Liz Maddocks and their managing director of farms, Dermot Tobin, welcomed our delegation and showed us around the business.
Bringing the next generation group together with our longer standing farmers on the regional board allowed them to learn more about the various officeholder opportunities in the region and discuss policy issues with us.
We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of the Maddocks’ farming and packing enterprise and plan to hold more visits like this, at other venues, in the future.
These informative and engaging visits, with briefing sessions, are great for engaging younger people in the union. Our greatest successes are achieved when well briefed members, who are active in their farming and growing businesses, lobby alongside professional staff.
As part of this it is vital we engage with tomorrow’s leaders today.
Robert Newbery, NFU West Midlands regional director
