By Aimee Mahony, chief poultry advisor, NFU
In my last column I talked about the frustrations of policy making. The need for timely decisions is greater in certain circumstances but often there are many factors at play and a lengthy process before we see any fruitful results. Any frustrations do seem worth it when the desired outcomes are delivered, and this makes my line of work very rewarding.
One example of these fluctuating emotions is the ongoing work looking at fairness in the supply chain. It was therefore welcomed at the NFU conference in February when the Prime Minister – The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, underlined the government’s commitment to deliver on its plan to support profitable farming businesses, improve food security and protect the British agriculture sector for generations to come.
Of note was the PM’s announcement of a review which is set to improve fairness in the poultry supply chain. Further clarity has confirmed that this is a review of the broiler supply chain, and it is anticipated to take place later this year once the more imminent roundtable meeting has taken place.
The roundtable meeting with Farming Minister Mark Spencer MP offers an opportunity for representatives from the entire broiler supply chain to come together to raise any concerns related to fairness and offer solutions for any desired improvements. This will make it an important moment for the sector.
Thinking about the egg roundtable meeting with the Farming Minister back in December 2022, we saw further scrutiny of the way risk and reward is shared and as a result of that Defra have conducted a review of the egg supply chain.
With their ambition to build fairness in the supply chain, the government have also announced that they have delivered on their commitment to introduce regulations in other sectors. Their immediate aim is to ensure contracts in the dairy sector are fair and transparent and later this year they will be introducing similar regulations for the pig sector with regulations for the egg sector expected to follow on from that.
Hard work pays off. Producers will see this on farm and bringing the challenges and opportunities that they face to life makes for more effective outcomes in our ongoing lobbying efforts. At the time of writing we are busy recruiting for the NFU national poultry board, and the successful members will play a crucial role in shaping a profitable and sustainable future for all those operating in the poultry sector.
There are other opportunities to get involved on the horizon with the next Poultry Industry Programme open for recruitment and the evolution of regional NFU poultry boards across England and Wales. Please contribute to discussions and get involved in events and meetings wherever possible. Your views are vital and appreciated and can make a huge difference and I look forward to meeting and speaking to many of you at the numerous events over the upcoming months.