THE NFU in Exeter has called on farmers and the public to take forward the message that Farming Matters. In December, the NFU published a report setting out the huge contribution farming makes not only in terms of food production, but also to the economy, environment, culture and communities. It points out that Britain's self-sufficiency is falling and that while retail prices have risen 22 per cent, farmers' incomes have fallen. In the south west it is argued that farming matters more than anywhere else in the country, as it is the largest and most rural region in England. 'It is the foundation upon which the region's landscape, environment, economy and communities are built,' says a Farming Matters in the South West leaflet. While lobbying is going on at Westminster and with supermarkets at a national level, farmers and the public are being urged to take up the cudgels locally. Ian Johnson, South West NFU press officer, said: 'It is up to individual farmers to take forward that message with the [publicity] materials we have produced.' He praised the Women's Institute organisation, which is holding a Great Milk Debate. On the question of milk prices, he said: 'We need people to ask a lot of questions, basically keeping pressure on supermarkets. They are very acutely aware of their corporate and social responsibilities and image.' Between 1990 and 2004, the number of dairy holdings fell by 41 per cent in the south west. The figures are even more stark for the region's orchards. The last 30 years have seen the destruction of 60 per cent of its apple orchards. Now 70 per cent of apples eaten in the UK are imported. Mr Johnson said that it was important not to portray farmers as victims, an image frequently promoted by the media. Farmers had been through a traumatic and quick transition from an era of price-setting to a free market economy and the shrewder among them were now in a position to take advantage of new global opportunities. NFU president Peter Kendall told farmers in Somerset that with a predicted 750 million more mouths to feed worldwide in the next 10 years, farmers and the productive use of land should be seen as a resource rather than a problem. 'I'm really keen to reverse the notion that farming doesn't matter, that it's unimportant and that farmers can all be park keepers,' he said. The farming lobby is likely to be encouraged by Secretary of State David Miliband's support at the Oxford Farming Conference. Mr Miliband said he was confident that there was a positive future for farming, predicting that the vision for farming in 2020 would see a profitable and competitive industry that had taken on the challenge of climate change. But as well as new markets he said there would be new competitors. 'Our role is to deliver a policy framework that encourages innovation and investment to build market share and justify public spending. 'I want all of government to see that support for farming is vital – to understand the impact its policies have on farming, and the knock-on effects these have on landscapes, on tourism and on the rest of the rural economy,' he said.
