Any incoming government must put productive agriculture at the centre of its political agenda and take action to help the industry fulfil its potential in meeting the challenges we all face, National Farmers’ Union (NFU) president Peter Kendall said today.

He was speaking at the launch of the NFU’s election manifesto and its Why Farming Matters More Than Ever campaign in London. Following on from the highly successful Why Farming Matters campaign, which was launched in 2006, it highlights why farming now matters more than ever in terms of food production, the environment and the economy, as well as outlining the steps the industry is taking to meet the challenges it faces in the 21st century.

The manifesto highlights what the NFU would like to see an incoming government do to help ensure agriculture is fully equipped to meet those challenges.

Kendall said: “Everything that has happened since the Why Farming Matters campaign was launched - the extraordinary price spikes of 2007-08, the unprecedented volatility in commodity prices, the biggest global recession since the 1930s and the setting of hugely ambitious targets for carbon reduction and renewable energy - shows why farming matters more than ever.

“With a general election due next year, and the possibility we could be facing a very different political landscape, this is our opportunity to set out the actions we would like an incoming government to take to allow the industry to respond to change and continue to provide solutions to the nation, and to reiterate why farming matters, not only to sitting MPs and prospective candidates of all parties but to the country as a whole.

“Our manifesto not only focuses on the short to medium term issues that the industry, in partnership with government, must address. It also proposes some practical and easily implementable policies that, if adopted, will deliver a number of benefits for the country and countryside and will clearly demonstrate political parties’ commitment to this most essential of industries. We hope all political parties will take careful note of our recommendations.”