Food production message heard in response to Health & Harmony consultation

DEFRA’s ‘Health & Harmony’ consultation has received over 44,000 responses and early feedback indicates there is a general consensus that food production should be seen as a ‘public good’ along with the other environmental aims set out in their proposal.

It appears that many respondents, BMPA included, raised concerns about the lack of importance the ‘Health & Harmony’ document gave to food production.  A large number of organisations commented that food security should be given much more weight and prominence in any future agricultural policy.

Another recurring theme in this consultation process has been the need to get the balance right between preserving biodiversity and maintaining a thriving and productive home-grown food industry.

Although we won’t have the official Government response for another few weeks, early indications are that they have certainly heard the message loud and clear from the food and farming industry.

Coming up on June 6 is the BMPA annual conference. Delegates will get the opportunity to hear, first-hand, what the Minister of state for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, George Eustice has to say about this and other topics currently affecting the British meat industry.

Coming from a farming background himself, Mr. Eustice knows better than most the intricate relationships between food production, environmental management and the requirements of a new, post-Brexit agricultural and food policy.

It will be an interesting conference session.