Anyone connected with Northampton's farming industry will look back on 2025 as an extremely challenging year, with the NFU supporting members on a wide range of issues.
The last 12 months have been some of the toughest on record for farming families and their businesses across the region and beyond.
From impacts caused by global geopolitics and trade deals with the potential to undermine our marketplace, to ongoing price volatility and uncertainty around farming schemes, farmer confidence has reached an all-time low. If you factor in the devastating spell of dry weather and drought which wreaked havoc with last summer’s harvest and created ongoing issues, compounded by the changes to inheritance tax – which has now thankfully been changed.
Then there is water security, rural crime, animal disease, and supply chain fairness – the NFU has been busy on all these issues and many more working with its members.
Despite the challenges there have been notable successes, from our campaign to strengthen the law around attacks on livestock, our lobbying work around planning system reforms to an NFU-led amendment on renters’ rights.
We secured concessions on beef access to the US market while US imports were restricted to a limited quota of hormone-free beef – work that continues with trade talks ongoing.
We successfully secured the re-opening of the Sustainable Farming Incentive application window and a roll-over of Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier agreements after several months of campaigning, benefitting thousands of farmers.
We were also pleased to see that many of the government’s priority actions from the recently published Farm Profitability Review reflect the proposals we put forward in our own submission.
Our most notable, significant success was of course the changes the government made to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief, raising the threshold to £2.5 million. The inheritance tax change has taken 14 months of persistent campaigning by the NFU, its members and allied industries, and thousands of farmers and their families have dug in deep, standing up for what they knew to be right.
We have had hours of calls with Labour backbenchers, particularly those representing rural seats, resulting in a rebellion with nearly 40 abstentions on the vote on Budget Resolution 50.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw has been unwavering and also had two very constructive meetings with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and dozens of conversations with Defra Secretary of State Emma Reynolds to help bring this change about.
This government has said it wants to help our farmers and growers become profitable and its pre-election manifesto clearly stated that “food security is national security.”
We could not agree more, but these words need to be followed up with action now and into the year ahead.
A stable and successful farming industry is needed for county food production and ornamental plants, for our economy, communities and our cherished countryside.
During testing times I am proud to see farmers standing together and the NFU has done everything possible to ensure farming’s voice is heard locally and nationally.
Our education programmes have also reached over half a million schoolchildren with our live lessons. Our ‘Farmers for Schools’ programme – where trained farmers and NFU staff visit classrooms to talk food and farming – has more than doubled in reach in the last year alone.
Looking ahead we continue to face challenges in an uncertain world, but we now have a stronger foundation to build on and grow. In the new year, as the government takes forward its five key recommendations from the Farm Profitability Review, we stand ready to work in partnership to deliver our shared ambition: an agriculture sector that is set up to thrive and drive economic growth.
Effective use of tax reliefs, alongside a push for greater energy resilience and a stable policy environment to encourage investor confidence, could all help domestic production thrive.
Reforming supply chain relationships, creating an enabling planning system and addressing high energy costs and standing charges – issues the NFU has consistently raised – will also be vital. Together, these measures can help create a more collaborative and equitable marketplace, enabling our farmers and growers to invest in their businesses and drive profitability and growth in the long-term.
We will also continue to lead the charge on the other big issues impacting our members on trade and border security, farm safety, avian influenza vaccination schemes, flexibility within the Seasonal Workers Scheme, the public procurement of more sustainable British food, stopping the worst aspects of trade deals, protecting tenant farming rights and securing the future of uplands farmers and protecting the iconic landscapes they manage. Alongside the issues already outlined and many more.
The resilience and unwavering support of NFU members in the county and beyond has helped to deliver the successes we have seen.
With 2026 here, a united voice can help deliver a dynamic, resilient domestic food system for 70 million people across the country.
Together, we are stronger.
