Herts County Show to shine light on key issues for farmers
The event will see thousands of visitors interact with growers and food producers
Hertfordshire farmers and growers are this weekend thanking the public for their support while highlighting key issues at the annual county show.
Robert Law, a Hertfordshire farmer and County Chairman for the National Farmers Union (NFU), said: "We’ll talk to anyone who’s interested in farming issues and it’s all about showcasing, advertising farmers as well and getting young people interested and telling them what a career in farming might involve."
The event is being celebrated as an opportunity for local farmers to share their passion with thousands of visitors, while shining a light on pressures pushing some out of business.
While the recent hot and dry weather is rapidly becoming a concern for farmers as we head into the summer, farmers are now feeling the effects of the Inheritance Tax imposed by the government, and hoping to raise awareness of the pressures it is imposing on their trade.
Mr Law said: "We have been fighting a concerted campaign throughout the country. Having meetings, marches, conferences, to highlight why it would be so bad for farming and why actually at the end of the day the whole thing doesn’t stack up.
"Any plans for investments, doing things on the farm, they've all gone out of the window now. Everyone’s suffering because we’re not buying any new equipment. We’re not putting any buildings up because we don’t know what the future holds."
Defra figures show that farming contributes more than £160m to the economy in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire and provides jobs for more than 2,500 people in Hertfordshire.
The NFU is working to tackle some huge challenges being faced by farmers in Hertfordshire including the proposed family farm tax, escalating rural crime, the impact of the driest spring in over a century, the impact of the US and EU trade agreements and uncertainty over the future of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) – the government’s flagship environmental support scheme for agriculture.
Last week, Defra was forced to reopen the SFI 2024 scheme to around 3,000 applicants, after a group of NFU-backed farmers threatened litigation over its decision to close the SFI without notice.
The NFU is working to address ongoing concerns about SFI, including restrictions on who can apply and what they can claim and the long-term future of the scheme.
NFU national Vice President Rachel Hallos said: "Faming is vital to Hertfordshire, and I’m looking forwarding to being part of such a fantastic, traditional, county show which celebrates all that is great about the countryside.
"I have seen from events including the NFU’s National Day of Unity how much support there is for our farmers from the people of Hertfordshire.
"We really appreciate that support, which is crucial as we look to tackle some of the many challenges the farming industry is facing.
"I look forward to meeting some of our Hertfordshire members and the public and thanking people for their fantastic support."