2011 - a new dawn for agriculture?

Looking at the newspapers, optimism
seems to be in short supply at the start of 2011.
But amid all the doom and gloom I’m positive for the long-term future of agriculture after some difficult times.

I’ve been farming all my life and I’ve sensed a real change in the way that politicians and others are now thinking and talking about our industry. There’s a growing recognition that farming matters and I believe we’re well-placed to meet the twin challenges of producing more food and looking after the environment.

Yes, there’s going to be short-term volatility with prices but, in the longer term, the prospects are good. We have to believe that the predictions about a growing global population are true, and that agriculture will be at the forefront again as we work to produce more food, protect Britain’s food security, and look after the landscape.

I really hope the current review of red tape, led by former NFU director general Richard Macdonald, will help this, bringing forward measures to start freeing-up farming’s potential.
Initiatives such as the Campaign for the Farmed Environment show what the industry can achieve voluntarily, without burdensome regulation. I will be encouraging more farmers to get involved in this during my two years as Suffolk NFU chairman.

Producing food and looking after the landscape has to be part of what we do as farmers
Most farms have less profitable areas that can be managed for the environment and we have a responsibility to care for the countryside. What we need are workable solutions that allow us to both produce food and deliver environmental benefits.

Richard Scott farms about 1,300 acres of owned and contracted land at Thorndon,near Eye in a family business, Lampits Farms Ltd, with his wife Jane. He is NFU county chairman for Suffolk.