Farmers need to be at the heart of a future domestic agricultural policy with food production at its core, NFU President Minette Batters has said to the Defra Secretary of State Michael Gove today.

At a joint NFU and Defra consultation event on the Government’s ‘Health and Harmony’ command paper today, Mrs Batters said that farmers must be engaged and empowered to deliver the reforms that are coming to ensure farming can continue to benefit the country.

The NFU has been urging its members to complete the Government’s consultation and has undertaken a nationwide series of meetings to gather their thoughts, ahead of its own consultation submission.