Just what is the government’s plan for farming?
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Two years on from the election, farmers are still questioning what the Government’s long-term vision for UK agriculture really is.
Two years after the election, and with the country about to see its seventh Prime Minister in ten years, many farmers are still asking a simple question: what is the Government’s agricultural policy?
Labour came to power with continuity as the apparent watchword. The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) was even opened during the election campaign, suggesting broad political support for the direction of travel. Yet many feel farming policy has drifted since then.
The October 2024 Budget marked a turning point. Alongside changes to inheritance tax reliefs, subsequent spending decisions effectively completed the phase-out of direct payments, removing overnight a framework which had shaped farming for decades. The message was clear: farming businesses should stand on their own feet.
Confidence has subsequently been further undermined by uncertainty over schemes and support payments. Details of SFI 2026 have emerged only gradually, while farmers with agreements coming to an end still lack clarity about what comes next.
The big issue is the absence of a clear vision about what agricultural policy is meant to achieve. Improved food security? Increased productivity? Resilience against global shocks? Adapting to climate change? Supporting exports? Or simply affordable food? Without a clear answer, individual policies appear disconnected.
Ministers have identified three priorities: unlocking rural growth, providing stability for investment and improving farm profitability. Yet progress on all three has been limited; investment requires confidence, and confidence requires certainty.
The reality is that farming cannot rely on larger government budgets. Inflation has already eroded the value of existing support, while hopes that private environmental markets would provide significant new income have yet to be realised.
That means policy must look beyond subsidies. Planning reform, taxation, export support, investment in drainage and irrigation, better tenancy arrangements and measures to improve productivity all have a role to play.
Successful farming businesses are built on more than grants. They need profitable markets, clear rules, and the confidence to invest for the long term.
The forthcoming Farming Roadmap and the Government’s response to Minette Batters’ Farming Profitability Review offer an opportunity to provide that direction. So far, however, the Roadmap has often felt more like a slogan than a strategy.
Farmers do not expect every challenge to be solved by government. But they do want to know where the industry is heading and what role farming plays in the nation’s future.
Without that clarity, agriculture risks becoming an afterthought. With it, farming could once again be recognised as a strategic industry that underpins food security, environmental stewardship and rural prosperity.
Charlotte Hayward is an associate at Arnolds Keys – Irelands Agricultural.
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