Miliband plans a partnership for prosperity and the planet

A new partnership between farmers and government to shape agriculture for the next decade and beyond was set out today by David Miliband, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Speaking at the Royal Show, Mr Miliband said he wanted ‘a shared agenda for farming which could not only tackle some of the worlds biggest environmental challenges, but also deliver prosperity in this country’.

Mr Miliband said:

“Our goal should be to build a profitable, innovative and competitive industry, which helps build sustainable rural communities while making a positive net contribution to the environment and managing risks, especially of animal disease.”

“A ‘one planet’ philosophy must be at the heart of a new partnership between farming and government.”

Mr Miliband said:

“We are living as if we had three planets’ worth of resources to live with rather than just one. We need to cut by about two-thirds our ecological footprint.

“For that we need one planet farming as well as one planet living – one planet farming which minimises the impact on the environment of food production and consumption, and which maximises its contribution to renewal of the natural environment.”

Mr Miliband said:

“I detect that many farmers feel undervalued and unappreciated.

“I want to focus on how, together, we can help farming regain its rightful place as a British success story that the British public is proud to acclaim. I believe the way forward to meeting these challenges is through a shared agenda and sense of purpose for farming, which both government and farmers take responsibility for delivering.”

Mr Miliband outlined four guiding principles for the new partnership:

• A long-term view over the next 10 or more years in which the Government will provide a clear framework of funding and policy in return for clear commitments to change from the farming industry
• Investment linked to reform. A sensible financial deal shared by Government and farmers
• More streamlined regulation which is effective, transparent, proportionate and cost-effective
• System-wide change, especially in the key areas of the food chain and animal health and welfare. The farming industry should share more of the responsibility and costs of controlling animal disease in exchange for a bigger say in how the risks of disease are controlled

“These need to build on the solid foundation provided by the Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food”, Mr Miliband added, “and will help to achieve our shared goals.”

He told farmers:

“You should be rightfully proud of your achievements and your record. I am proud to be associated with this industry. We have great challenges ahead – both environmental and economic. But my belief is that, working together, we can achieve the twin goals of economic prosperity and one planet living.”

Mr Miliband said he hoped his speech would be just the starting point for a debate about the way forward for a shared agenda. To continue the dialogue, Mr Miliband is inviting comments and questions from farmers – via www.defra.gov.uk/farm/contact/dialogue/ - and will be online from 12.15pm to 1pm on Thursday (July 6th) to respond to them.

Notes to editors

1. David Miliband was speaking at the Royal Show organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of England and held at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire.
2. The full text of the speech is available on the Defra website at: www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/ministers/speeches/david-miliband/dm060703.htm

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