Labour has unveiled a raft of new policies for farming today, including an extension to the seasonal worker visa route and a 50% public procurement target for food.
Making the announcement at the NFU conference on Tuesday (25 February), Defra Secretary Steve Reed said the reforms would make 'farming more profitable'.
It came on the same day that Tom Bradshaw, the NFU's president, accused Labour of 'morally wrong' policies, including the 'disastrous' inheritance tax proposals.
Mr Reed's speech at the London conference sought to soothe industry tensions with a series of policy sweeteners, as part of a bid to 'put money into the pockets of British farmers'.
These included an extension of the seasonal worker visa route for five more years, with annual quota reviews to ensure the right balance.
New rules for government catering contracts to favour British food were unveiled, with an ambition for 50% of food supplied into the £5bn public sector catering contracts to be from British farmers.
Speaking about profitability, Mr Reed said: “The underlying problem is that farmers do not make enough money for the hard work and commitment they put in.
“I will consider my time as Secretary of State a failure if I do not improve profitability for farmers across the country.
“My focus is on ensuring farming becomes more profitable because that’s how we make your businesses viable for the future.
"And that’s how we ensure the long-term food security this country needs," the Defra Secretary said.
Mr Reed also pledged to 'uphold and protect' the UK's high environmental and animal welfare standards in any future trade deals.
The Farming Innovation Programme, which supports research and development of agri-technology, will also receive an extra £110m in funding from the government.
And farmers in the uplands will see an increase to Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) payment rates, worth around £30 million.
However, there has so far been no announcement from the government on its controversial inheritance tax proposals.
In the NFU's opening speech at its conference, it called on the government to reset its relationship with farmers, as many businesses are 'still reeling' after the budget.
Bad policy, worsening geopolitics and unprecedented weather have left some sectors of UK farming in the worst cashflow crisis for generations, the union warned.
