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National Farmers Union

NFU

The NFU of England and Wales champions British farming and growing and provides professional representation and services to its members. Its main aims and objectives are to: 1. Provide political representation to farmers and growers in England and Wales through effective lobbying at regional, national and European levels 2. Inform its members about important political, commercial or legislative changes that may impact on their businesses in order to allow them to make informed decisions 3. Provide special advisory services to its members on legal and technical matters affecting British agriculture 4. Offer wider services to its members for example, discounted rates of insurance, private medical care etc 5. To be a public voice for agriculture and horticulture ensuring that the British public is informed about the importance and value of British agriculture The NFU works very closely with sister organisations in Scotland and Northern Ireland and is a member of Copa-Cogeca

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Tom Tynan (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

11 Mar 2020 · Discussion regarding Britain’s departure from the EU

Response to Uniform principles for evaluation and authorisation of plant protection products

11 Jul 2019

The NFU represents 55,000 members in England and Wales, involved in 46,000 farming and growing businesses. In addition, we have 55,000 Countryside members with an interest in farming and the countryside. Honeybees and other pollinating insects are of huge importance to farmers. They play an essential role in contributing to food production and the diversity of our environment through the pollination of many crops and wild plants. Farmers understand the importance of pollinators and already make efforts to protect them through farming and land management practices. Please find our full response attached.
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Response to Fitness Check on endocrine disruptors

10 Jul 2019

The NFU represents 55,000 members in England and Wales, involved in 46,000 farming and growing businesses. In addition, we have 55,000 Countryside members with an interest in farming and the countryside. The NFU welcomes the opportunity to comment on the European Commission’s Fitness Check on Endocrine Disruptors. We welcome the Commission’s recognition that the EU policy and legal framework is recognised as one of the global leaders in dealing with endocrine disruptors. The NFU also welcomes the Commission’s recognition that alongside ensuring a high level of protection of human health and the environment, the smooth functioning of the internal market also needs to be ensured. We also welcome the statement that EU action on endocrine disruptors depends on high-level scientific advice. Going forward we support the drive for coherence of the relevant EU legislation. It is important the EU framework takes a clear, equitable, risk-based and science-based approach to tackling all potential endocrine disrupting substances. While often the popular focus of attention is on pesticides and biocides, it is equally important for the framework to address endocrine disruptors across all other relevant regulatory areas, such as toys, cosmetics, food contact materials, medical devices and chemicals in general. In addition, the framework should consider natural sources of endocrine disruptor exposure. The NFU supports the horizontal approach to the identification of endocrine disruptors. This parity in approach should also apply to the regulatory consequences for endocrine disruptors. But in all cases, proper impact assessment should be used to ensure a horizontal approach prioritises the greatest risks, providing greatest benefit in terms of protections, while limiting economic damage. The NFU would also fully encourage the Commission to increase levels of global regulatory cooperation in the area of endocrine disruptors, as we believe this closer alignment will benefit understanding and development. We believe endocrine disruptors can be effectively regulated by risk assessment. We are increasingly concerned how the hazard-based approach under the legislation on plant protection products is creating a widening gap between the EU and the rest of the world in terms of standards of production. The result is that we are exporting food and crop production out of the EU, while importing food and crops produced in ways not permitted in the EU.
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Response to Enhancing Market transparency in the agri-food chain

11 Jun 2019

The National Farmers' Union represents 55,000 farmers in England and Wales. Please find attached a briefing containing our feedback to the consultation on price transparency in agriculture.
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Response to Commission Regulation setting maximum residue levels for chlorate in or on certain products

15 Feb 2019

The NFU welcomes the opportunity to comment on the European Commission initiative on Food safety - maximum levels of chlorate in food. Our comments are attached.
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Response to Establishment of Harmonised Risk Indicators to measure the reduction in risks and adverse impacts from pesticide use

21 Dec 2018

The NFU supports the principle of developing and using practical harmonised risk indicators under the sustainable use of pesticides directive. We believe these indicators need to reflect actual risks associated with the use of pesticides. On that basis, we have significant concerns with the proposals put forward by the Commission, which take a simplistic hazard-based approach, coupled with arbitrary weighting factors for different PPP categories. The NFU believes this undermines the evidence-based regulatory risk assessment procedures that lie behind approvals and authorisations. Harmonised risk indicators need to reflect the risks associated with actual use, and we believe there are datasets available based on factors around actual use, which should be taken into account. The NFU disagrees strongly with the proposed use of Article 53 derogations as a measure of risk. These derogations are specifically in the Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 to deal with emergency situations in plant protection. It undermines the regulation to diminish the purpose and safeguards written into Article 53 by arbitrarily assigning Article 53 derogations as a harmonised risk indicator. This proposal is not evidence-based.
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Response to Listing high risk plants & plants for which a phytosanitary certificate is not required for introduction into the Union

14 Aug 2018

Feedback from the National Farmers' Union (NFU) representing the interests of growers in England and Wales.
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Meeting with Tom Tynan (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

15 Jun 2018 · Business discussion

Meeting with Phil Hogan (Commissioner)

3 May 2018 · Farming Issues

Meeting with Phil Hogan (Commissioner)

10 Apr 2018 · Farming Issues

Meeting with Tom Tynan (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

23 Feb 2018 · Business discussion

Meeting with Phil Hogan (Commissioner)

19 Feb 2018 · Agri Issues

Response to Fitness Check of the Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive

16 Nov 2017

The NFU represents 55,000 farmer and grower members in England and Wales, involved in 46,000 farming businesses. In addition, we have 55,000 countryside members with a wider interest in farming and the countryside. NFU welcomes the evaluation roadmap for the upcoming fitness check of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), its daughter directives and the Floods Directive. Water is an essential production resource for agriculture and is critical for feeding the growing world population (farmers will have to produce 70% more food by 2050). Especially in the context of a rapidly changing environment, providing water in sufficient quality and quantity to the farming sector is essential. This must be acknowledged by EU policies. Over the past 20 years, environmental legislation has improved the quality of our habitats. Rivers are stocked with fish and water mammals; and biodiversity is returning to areas previously suffering from many kinds of pollution. Additionally, farmers have voluntarily invested over £182 million on farm infrastructure to improve water quality by match funding catchment sensitive farming or countryside stewardship capital grants. Pesticide use has become highly targeted with 50% less active ingredient applied since 1990 and there has been a 20% increase in nutrient planning since 2009. Please see attached file for full response
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Meeting with Phil Hogan (Commissioner)

29 Sept 2017 · Agriculture matters

Response to Amendment of the technical Annexes of the Plant Health Directive 2000/29/EC

14 Oct 2016

The NFU represents 47,000 farmer and grower businesses in England and Wales. In addition we have 40,000 countryside members with an interest in farming, horticulture and the countryside. • The NFU requests that the European Commission introduce more frequent amendments to the Annexes to ensure that more timely interventions can take place. Plant Health is a fast-changing landscape with emerging threats quickly becoming organisms of concern. This should be adequately reflected within the Directive with reviews at least once a year. • The NFU requests that proposed changes to the "list of harmful organisms known to occur in the EU and of concern to the whole EU" reflect that, in cases (such as Xylella) where incidence is in clearly defined areas, third countries should accept regionalisation when it comes to exports: i.e. not consider whole Europe as infested by Xylella and treat exports on a case by case basis. • The NFU supports the prompt inclusion of the amendments to Protected Zones agreed earlier this year (such as for pine processionary moth) into the Annex IV requirements. Without such changes, the Protected Zone designations lack rigour, as there are no associated requirements for movements of susceptible material into such zones. Furthermore, in instances where there is evidence that existing requirements are not preventing the movement of infested material (for example, through interceptions) the NFU requests that more robust requirements are introduced (eg for Xanthomonas arboricola pv pruni). • The NFU would like to see the European Commission implement measures to strengthen Bemisia tabaci Protected Zone requirements as soon as possible. The UK makes regular interceptions on plant species not regulated by the Directive and on plants for retail sale, which are not currently covered. Additional species need to be added and requirements included for plants for retail.
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Meeting with Tom Tynan (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

21 Jun 2016 · AGRI issues

Meeting with Tom Tynan (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

9 Jun 2016 · AGRI issues