Britain’s farmers battered by Brexit fallout and rising costs, says union

theguardian.com:

“The clock is ticking” to support Britain’s farmers battered by a storm of rising costs, labour shortages, bird flu and post-Brexit changes to support payments, the union representing the sector has told ministers.

“Volatility, uncertainty and instability” are endangering UK farm businesses, according to the National Farmers’ Union, which is urging the government to support British food producers so they can keep supplying squeezed UK households and a growing global population.

Thousands of farmers from England and Wales will gather in Birmingham on Tuesday for the NFU’s annual conference, against the backdrop of a string of challenges for the agricultural sector.

The NFU president, Minette Batters, will outline “three cornerstones” for ensuring that UK food production prospers, and call on the government to ensure its farming policy achieves this by “boosting productivity, protecting the environment and managing volatility”.

Batters – who has a cattle, sheep and arable farm in Wiltshire – will also say that farmers and growers have an “opportunity, and a duty, to get the best out of our maritime climate” to continue providing food for consumers at home and abroad, while remaining committed to achieving net zero and generating renewable energy on their farms.

“The fact remains, volatility, uncertainty and instability are the greatest risks to farm businesses in England and Wales today. Critically, those consequences will be felt far beyond farming; they will be felt across the natural environment, and in struggling households across the country,” Batters will say.

Much has changed for farmers since last year’s get-together, which closed just hours before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The conflict sparked an increase in energy