UKICE: Are officials more accessible, if you cant get in to talk to Lord Frost? Weve got significant issues with the absence of border control posts on the north European coast which means that we effectively cant move any farm animals from GB to mainland EU. And now, within the Agricultural Act of 2020, the Secretary of State for Defra has access to a multi-annual plan. So, the CAP was a multi-annual budget that sat outside of parliamentary cycles, so you got the budget, which I think annoyed others, in the NHS and education why did agriculture have special treatment? MB: We made continual calls, between Nick von Westenholz, myself and the other office-holders, with backbench MPs, talking about how dire a no deal would be. UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE): Michael Gove was a relatively long-serving Defra Secretary of State, by Defra standards. Its really key, though, to say on the information available, to remain in the EU. buss type w 30 amp fuse replacement; Books. Were they particularly worried about that? So, that is why we want you to be part of the SPS area. So, I continue to hold them to account on that. Menu. You could say he brought a massive breath of oxygen into the department. History will judge what we did harshly if we get it wrong, so we cannot afford to miss a beat. Scoops about National Farmers Union . But our strawberries, our raspberries, our asparagus, our blueberries, are reliant on the dexterity of the human hand. Boris Johnson was operating from a seismic majority, and so they have the power base to do whatever they want. There are a lot of things that need to be done. I just wondered if this was done in concert with you was this George Eustice acting as the NFUs representative in Parliament? In her role as That was the frustration. Again, it was the engagement with Number 10 that got the global seasonal scheme of 30,000 over the line. But do bear in mind that a precedent had already been set. Because of the size of our population, because of the size of the sector, food and farming employs one in eight people. NFU President Minette Batters tells us why it's so important to That extraordinary feeling. I havent been able to get a meeting with Lord Frost yet. MB: I think there were some. Were you at all engaged in the discussions there, or were you very surprised when the Government suddenly unveiled that as its preferred approach? And, as someone quite well known to you, were you relieved that it was someone who had a track record on farming? After a pause of 10 years in which she wrote two novellas, Walters has decided to write historical novels. She supplemented her salary by writing romantic novelettes, short stories, and serials in her Youve got Lord Frost leading on the future of the UK new relationship. So, there was that seasonal focus. WebOn 19 April our Environmental Change & #FoodSecurity inquiry heard from @HenryDimbleby; @Minette_Batters, @NFUtweets; Peter Dawson, @dairyuk; @suepritch, @FFC_Commission; and Chris Brown, @asda. So, we supported Chequers, as, interestingly, did Michael Gove. The EU are now really having these positive conversations, and the Commission has come out positively, saying, Actually, on plant breeding, weve got to look at the opportunities around that resistant crop. Minette Batters is the first female President of the National Farmers' Union in its 111-year history. It wasnt actually needed in the end, because the weather changed. UKICE: The perception, for those of us that dont know, is that a lot of farmers did vote Leave, partly because they just hated the bureaucracy of the Common Agricultural Policy, and thought it got in their way. I have to say, at this moment in time, it is hard to see how we retain our levels of self-sufficiency, and keep our farmers with the same price structure, effectively, that they have at the moment. We are really asking Defra to keep looking at the impact assessments. Weve worked very closely with them throughout, so weve always known that it is a very, very difficult area. But Chequers, with its common rule book, allowed for that situation with the island of Ireland to be avoided, and it potentially paved the way for us to transition into an international trading relationship, but with the complexity of the deal with the EU and the UK sorted. UKICE: When you saw the Northern Ireland Protocol that the Prime Minister had agreed to, did you anticipate that it was going to cause what appeared to be quite a lot of problems for east-west trade in agrifood products? The coalition showed that this was about consumers, this was about everybody believing in it. MB: I think, genuinely, probably nobody wanted it to play out how its played out, which has been long and protracted and divisive. The daffodil-growers in Cornwall will have faced enormous losses. In 2019 Minette was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Dorset. It was one of the most affected departments by Brexit: did you get the sense that they could get the staff and resources they needed, or were they struggling through this? Minette is published in almost 40 countries and has sold in excess of 25,000,000 copies of her books worldwide. The Department for International Trade, of course, is focused on getting trade deals done. Contact: Agent | Publisher | General inquiries. The Mail on Sunday agreed to help promote the NFUs standards petition. The dexterity of the human hand was essential. Suddenly, the environment was rising up the agenda and everybody wanted a slice of it, and he was running the show. MB: Youve absolutely hit the nail on the head, because nobody did understand it. So, in my opinion its been a phenomenal return on investment and it can be an even better return on investment, if we all work together. So, that was really compelling. Minette Batters, who is the president of the National Farmers Union (NFU) of England and Wales and has been called the most powerful farmer in the UK, was We were put under a lot of pressure at various times to be part of the Peoples Vote, and call for another referendum. Verified account Protected Tweets @; Suggested users In 2017, Minette realised a long-held ambition to publish an historical novel. Its a massively significant employer. If were going to have checks in the Irish Sea to avoid a border, where do you do the checks? I think we all knew what problems were coming, but I think the challenge was, what was going to be done about them? But I think, as the farming unions, we were all in the same place of wanting an approach that kept the UK internal market functioning fairly, and that there werent winners and losers. Five generations of her family have run the farm but, like the new NFU president, she is the first woman to take the reins. How were you involved in no deal preparations? But it isnt an opportunity if we lose access to the EU market. So, having been the preferred destination for European seasonal workers to come to, we now had this huge challenge that we were going to pull up the drawbridge. And of course, a lot of European workers were working within the food and farming sector, so that very quickly became, like trade, one of the things that we had taken for granted, that we were now very aware we couldnt take for granted anymore. I think they were clearly split though. Of course, getting your voice heard in all of this was quite a challenge, I think, for the goods sector. Her novels are often set against real backgrounds and real events to draw her readers into the 'reality' of what she is writing about. And of course, we still had the Wageningen work, which proved to be pivotal in having those discussions, and the principles. I remember reading the Defra press release the night before that interview, and it was a heart-stopping moment for me. We knew that we could have a global scheme, that it didnt all have to be about Europe, but with a reliance in the seasonal workforce, of 80,000 seasonal workers, to pick and pack and plant our fruit, veg and flowers. WebBrowse 72 minette batters photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more photos and images. You know, vote for this, because it will be cheaper. I always remember Faisal Islam saying that agriculture had managed to beat the rest of manufacturing in getting its voice heard in this arena. Minette has written another entry in the Quick Reads series entitled A Dreadful Murder for World Book Day 2013. Minette Batters, better known by her family name Minette Bridget Batters, is a popular British farmer and trade unionist. That in itself was controversial with some of our members, but the expertise wasnt in the UK, economic analysis of trade deals was something the European Commission was responsible for. Weve got higher standards, with many of the producers sitting above European level. Everybody was putting down these legal markers, effectively. Were still going to need a workforce. MB: I think it was a phenomenal rebrand for the department, really. WebCall Us Today! She supplemented her salary by writing romantic novelettes, short stories, and serials in her spare time. So, that is all good. UKICE: How did you think the Department was coping? What difference did it make to you in engaging with the Government when Michael Gove, on rehabilitation into the Cabinet, took over from Andrea Leadsom, and started to make a lot of noise about what post-Brexit policy might look like? Im not so sure. But then he left. Did you target any of the backbenchers who were holding out? So, that was the conversation, literally, with Theresa May she hadnt realised how complex SPS was. Weve worked on emergency measures and everything else, but thankfully they were never needed. Wedding and Corporate events venue. UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE): You have a Conservative leadership battle that ends up with Theresa May becoming Prime Minister. Now with correct twitter handle! Minette Batters (MB): It was interesting, wasnt it, when Theresa May came in? She won well over 30 races in her own right which included racing at That worked, because everybody opened the doors and said, Really? Yes, we did have very high-quality affordable food, the most affordable in Europe, the third most affordable in the world. Or did you wait to see what on earth the Government did, to fill in this void? Australia is the sort of precedent FTA because that will be the first one, potentially, that is concluded. MB: Lord Frost has been the difficult one to date. MB: I think weve always recognised, from day one, how difficult Ireland is. Retail is now very loyal to British sourcing, so were seeing good prices across a range of agricultural products. And at the moment, what we are finding is that there are so many moving parts to the level of engagement with different trading partners. Exports are down though, with specialist cheesemakers and products such as fresh cream taking a massive hit. And I think George Eustice described this as seeing me have a sort of nuclear moment, where I nearly erupted through the ceiling. Chequers, if Im honest, allowed that to happen. UKICE: You seemed to have managed to at least persuade Michael Gove, Secretary of State, of some of that, because he was on the other side of that argument with DIT that summer. Minette Batters is the current president of the National Farmers Union (NFU) of England and Wales, a position she has held for three years. So, we had a very good discussion at NFU Council in April 2016. UKICE: Rather intriguingly, George Eustice, given his background, put down one of the indicative votes proposing UK accession to EFTA. I still look back on it as, fundamentally, my job is about speaking truth to power and getting what is needed for, not only the members, but consumers. We knew that we had to be able to inform our members of facts. But I think, every time we treated no deal as a live reality, we had to prepare for it. This has been a political decision by the EU and, to a certain extent, their line is, Well, we didnt want you to leave, were entitled to make it difficult. To get to wholesale ways of trading, whereby you have one truck full of one thing, is going to be easier to resolve. Martin said, I think its going to be close but, without a doubt, it looks like were going to remain. Views expressed in this piece are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of UK in a Changing Europe. UKICE: Weve heard about asparagus rotting in the fields, strawberries unpicked, daffodils unpicked. I remember sitting opposite him at a Sector Food Council meeting and George Eustice remembers this, I might add, as clearly as I do, because he was in the room, and Liam Fox saying, Brexit is going to be great, because we can bring in cheap raw ingredients and add value to them under the Union Jack. Minette Caroline Mary Walters DL[1] (born 26 September 1949) is an English crime writer. Have you been pressurising government-? UKICE: Did you get a sense that government actually appreciated the lengths of those lead times in farming? In all these challenges, we knew that any border would have to be in the Irish Sea. As part of the British project 'Quick Reads', to encourage literacy amongst adults with reading difficulties, Walters wrote a 20,000-word novella called Chickenfeed. I think farmers are feeling reasonably optimistic at the moment. And that still remains the challenge. Her first full-length novel, The Ice House, was published in 1992. I asked what he thought as the Votes were just starting to come in then, and I think a lot of people were in the same position as me. This is what Michael kicked off, effectively, with David Rutley, in the very beginning. We needed to be able to work together, to shape what the future needed to look like. He had said, on behalf of the NFU, that it was in farmings best interests to join the Common Market. I had a call the other day, with COPA-COGECA, listening to the Commission and DG SANTE. espn reporters sleeping with athletes ossian elementary school calendar. WebMinette Batters NFU President Minette runs a tenanted family farm in Wiltshire. Or was that something you thought was a big opportunity? Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. The National Farmers' Union (NFU) is demanding a written guarantee from the government that Brexit won't undermine British farming standards. UKICE: Whether or not it was a majority of farmers, some farmers at least were keen to leave the EU. But given the issues at hand went well beyond the economics argument, into issues such as immigration and sovereignty, it was also decided that the NFU would not campaign for Remain, nor would we advise our members how to vote. They still are. I think its still yet to be resolved as to what that looks like. Weve got to make sure that we build what I would call bridges to more mechanisation, more automation. That was primarily because of the WTOs Most Favoured Nations rules, where you cant have one rule for the EU and one rule for the rest of the world. Or did you think it was just so unthinkable and such a bad thing, that you werent even prepared to talk about it with government? DB6031P06 LOCAL farmer Minette Batters gives us an insight into daily life on her farm near Downton with But that didnt stop us from getting stuck in. Covid, and the out-of-home sector being offline, is masking the issue at the moment, of what things will look like going forward. We did still have the practical issue though to register as either Remain or Leave with the Electoral Commission so as not to fall foul of the impending spending limits on our activity. Movies. Above all else, I want to see honesty to farmers about the road that they are on from our political leaders. We can, as a source of emissions and a sink, go carbon-neutral, we can get to net zero. Of course, if in effect you listen to everybody, then it does allow you the opportunity of going away and doing your own thing, because youve got all these dissenting voices. I still believe that in the longer term, we will have to find ways with the EU to deliver less friction, because less friction equals less cost and thats to the benefit of both sides. As a net importer from the EU, and it being our most important export market, it was in the economic interest for farmers on both sides that we added as little cost and friction as possible. On gene editing, yes, on plant breeding, its a massive opportunity. RT @RainNewtonSmith: Great podcast with the brilliant @Minette_Batters of @NFUtweets passionate about the role of farmers in nature restoration, energy and food security. How does it feel for the industry? But we had to get this right. Despite its majority force to put the Trade and Agricultural Commission on a statutory basis and other things like that, does the Government recognise it doesnt necessarily have a parliamentary majority for its vision of future trade in agricultural products? He was there as Minister of State for Farming beforehand, under Michael, so we knew George very, very well. He was there as Minister of State for Farming beforehand, under Michael, so we knew George There are different moving parts to all of these things that, I think, make it a challenge to resolve. It has also been translated into several languages. [2] Walters spent a year at the Abbey School in Reading, Berkshire, before winning a Foundation Scholarship at the Godolphin boarding school in Salisbury. Weve got the climate here to be growing it. Minette was the first crime/thriller writer to win three major prizes with her first three books.