25 September 2006

2 minute read

Europe

Peter Kendall, Charlotte Atkins MP and Secretary of State David Miliband MP

Joining Peter were Charlotte Atkins MP (Lab) and Secretary of State David Miliband. Peter hosted a question and answer session for NFU members and Labour conference delegates.

Secretary of State David Miliband said Defra and the Government as a whole needed to win back the trust of the farming community. In order to do this, he identified three core achievements Defra must aspire to.

Firstly, to ensure that the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) worked to meet, and exceed farmers needs. Secondly, the Government needed to ensure that British farmers were able to compete on a level playing field, both nationally and in an international context.

This, Mr Miliband asserted, would require an assessment of the pressures along the supply chain, and intense scrutiny of the common agricultural policy.

Finally, British farming needed to maximise its contribution to wider environmental drives, by boosting local sourcing, championing environmental stewardship and looking at ways to make biofuel production profitable and sustainable.

On the subject of adaptation and land management, he insisted that the NFU supported the idea of public payments for public benefits, and he called for reform of the CAP to continue.

Mr Miliband also reiterated his commitment to cut red tape for farmers.that where regulations were challenged, his department would do their best to either justify, amend or scrap them.

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