Continued from page 56


and saying, ‘We want this’. But what do you do the next day? You need to be at the table. Ministers don’t respond well to people continually presenting what’s wrong. “You have to problem-solve


so the government wants you there. Of course, you’re going to get criticism. But you have to lead. If you stick to representing [members], you’re going to fail.” For example, she said:


“When we worked with Michael Gove at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs [in 2017-19], it was ‘We don’t need to produce food’ and just about the environment. We needed to turn it around. So, we said we could beat the government’s 2050 net zero target by 10 years. The moment we did, the government doors opened. They said, ‘Tell us how’. “It annoyed some members


who think climate change is rubbish. But I didn’t want farmers taxed on emissions. Not every farm will get there but many can produce carbon-zero food with the right policies and incentives.” Batters identifies another


similarity between the sectors when “people say ‘don’t travel’ and ‘don’t eat meat’” to address the climate crisis, arguing: “We need to travel. It’s essential to people in a lot of places. It’s not enough to say ‘don’t travel’ and you’ve fixed everything.” Looking ahead to her


speech at the convention, she said: “I hope to share some knowledge on solutions we’ve put forward, plus where I think Labour will go.”


‘Agriculture’s eco path offers lessons for travel’


Ian Taylor


The development of sustainable farming methods and sustainability accreditation in agriculture, amid pressures to match consumer expectations on price, can provide valuable lessons for the travel industry. “Becoming sustainable is


becoming a licence to trade for all of us,” former NFU president Minette Batters is due to tell Abta’s Travel Convention next month. She said: “We have to be able


to show our sustainability offering. The challenge is people don’t want to pay for it. So, we have to make sure nature and sustainability appear on the balance sheet, and there has to be accreditation.” Batters warned: “Net zero has to


be reached in a phased way, otherwise we’ll be exporting key parts of our economy [to other countries].” But she argues agriculture “has a huge role to play” in meeting the government’s


‘Labour’s relations with the EU will be better and closer’


Brexit has proved a bigger challenge for farmers than for travel, according to former NFU president Minette Batters, who argued: “There are massive implications for all of us on what goes in our fridges.” She said: “It’s crucial we’re


able to import from and export to our closest neighbours without restrictions. Much of Labour’s plans


54 19 SEPTEMBER 2024


Environment and Food) programme. Batters also highlighted the


‘Net zero has to be reached in a phased way’


net zero target and suggests sustainability certification schemes can play an important part in this. Recalling “the food scares of the


1990s” in Britain, such as BSE and foot and mouth disease, she said: “We were the first to bring in farm assurance schemes in the UK.” She explained: “The baseline


accreditation is the Red Tractor Assurance Scheme.” This certifies UK farms and suppliers, with ‘farm to fork’ accreditation “fully audited through the supply chain”. Other schemes include the Soil Association organic mark and the Leaf (Linking


for growth are attached to that.” Batters suggested farming “is


likely to be the first sector discussed and the last to be agreed in any trade deal” and warned: “I don’t see an agreement any time soon. “Labour’s relations with the EU


will be better and we’ll be closer. But I don’t see things happening fast. It will take time because the EU always takes time.” Post-Brexit restrictions on labour


have had a huge impact on farming, she said, arguing: “Successive governments have driven people out of agriculture. We’ve relied on a workforce predominantly from


Groceries Code Adjudicator, which deals with disputes between supermarkets and suppliers and which the NFU lobbied hard for. Founded in 2013, the adjudicator is responsible for enforcing the Groceries Supply Code of Practice between supermarkets and their suppliers. She said: “Certification has been


important in giving consumers confidence. The hard thing is getting retailers and consumers to pay for it. “We all think prices should rise,


but it’s difficult to talk about or negotiate on price. So, we have to look at the model. The challenge is we also need to make high-quality, affordable food available for everyone. “In the next 10 years we need to


step up the pace [on sustainability]. Certification can be important in that, but it’s reliant on investment and people will need to pay for it. It will either cost the public or the consumer purse. And it’s the same for travel.”


‘Governments have driven people out of agriculture’


eastern Europe to do seasonal agricultural jobs for years.” Now she said: “We have people


coming from more challenging parts of the world and more costs involved. There are robots that can pick fruit, but people are quicker.”


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURE: Shutterstock/ver0nicka


PICTURE: Shutterstock/BearFotos


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