Rushcliffe MP James Naish joins NFU farm tour to see quality food production in harmony with environmental success

A Nottinghamshire MP has joined a tour to see first-hand how sustainable and affordable food gets from field to fork.

Rushcliffe MP James Naish joined the NFU last month for a farm tour to see quality food production at work hand-in-hand with environmental delivery.

Alongside the MPs for Cannock Chase and Ribble Valley, he toured a farm near Stowmarket that grows wheat, barley, oilseed rape and beans and hosted the first ever Big Farmland Bird Count back in 2014.

The visit was part of the NFU Food and Farming Fellowship Scheme — launched last year in partnership with sponsoring organisations ABP UK, Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC), Arla Foods, Barfoots, the British Egg Industry Council and Fareshare — which enables MPs to see farms first-hand.

AIC head of policy and external affairs, Ed Barker, who hosted the tour on his family farm, said: “This scheme is an excellent way of getting MPs out on farm to see up close the work that goes on.

“It was great to be able to demonstrate how arable farms are run and show the positive work farmers do to support the environment and to help the MPs understand the pressures and challenges farmers are facing on the ground.”

The Barker family have had the over 500 hectare farm since the 1950s, and the MPs discovered how their crops are used — from making bread, whiskey, and beer, to animal feed.

They also heard about the many environmental successes achieved on the farm, in part through the government’s Sustainable Farming Incentive.

Mr Naish heard more about the farm’s optimisation of the use of fertilisers, efforts to support biodiversity and reduce carbon emissions, and the the rare bird species seen at the farm.

NFU combinable crops board chairman, Jamie Burrows, who attended the visit, added: “This was a great event and the MPs were fully engaged and asking lots of good questions.

“The Barkers do some excellent work and it is a great example of food production and environmental work going together hand-in-hand.

“This was just one example and there are many other farms across the country doing fantastic work like this.”