Rural Economy

Baroness Byford Excerpts

Wednesday 27th April 2016 Grand Committee

[Baroness Byford (Con)]

My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend on securing the debate and her forthright overview of the current situation. I remind the Committee of our family’s farming interests, which are on the register.

Successful agriculture, horticulture, forestry and fishing industries are crucial to the health of the nation in terms of locally produced food, the employment opportunities they offer and a countryside that is open to all. Farming is a foundation stone of the UK’s food industry. It is the fourth-largest exporting sector, worth some £97 billion, and in 2013 it provided more than 3.5 million jobs. The UK is the third-largest wheat and dairy producer in the EU, the fourth-largest beef producer and the largest producer of sheep-meat. Some 142,000 businesses are registered as farm businesses.

But all is not well. World commodity prices are low and some farmers are struggling to survive. Their plight is made all the more acute by the failure of the 2015 basic payment scheme and of the consequent queries for 2016. I hope that the Minister will clarify the current position and explain the reasons for the delays. We have received our full payment, and while others are waiting, part payments are at least some form of welcome relief.

We also need to ensure that disease in crops and livestock is kept to a minimum. Last year, the NFU and others, through their Healthy Harvest Report, campaigned for sound, risk-based regulation of plant protection products. The withdrawal of products, especially when there is no satisfactory alternative, risks crop yield losses. UK hop growers may number only some 60, but they are facing just such a scenario. Their crop is worth over £9 million. Hops are sold to brewers and traditional UK beers cannot be produced without hops. The brewing industry is worth in excess of £18 billion. I understand that hop growers do not have effective means to control pests in the way that they need.

Lastly, I continue to encourage more small businesses into rural areas. I welcome the new food and farming degree apprenticeships, the advances in technology, the sharing of expertise and the direct promotion of products. So much has been achieved, but there is much more to be done. There are opportunities to be taken, but in some areas even a minimum provision of broadband is needed and urgently required.