Dorset farmers sceptical about DEFRA farming plan

Farmers in Dorset say that the government's recently launched Farming Roadmap doesn't do enough to help producers.

The DEFRA scheme lays out a blueprint for farming through to 2050 and sets out how farmers can adapt through nature-based solutions such as improved soil health and water management.

The government has committed £240 million of investment which it says will give farmers better access to the tools, technology, skills and supply chains they need to invest, innovate and grow.

Some Dorset producers though, fear the plan may not materialize or will be derailed by a change of prime minister.

James Cossins is a fifth generation farmer near Blandford.

His farm is a mixture of arable and dairy farming, it has an onsite butchery and farm shop.

He welcomes the investment from government, but would like clarity about what they can and can't invest in.

"We're facing increased costs and we cannot carry on by producing certain items at a loss and then we can't invest and then the farm basically just sort of falls apart.

"And we need to know what investment we can do on our farm to make us profitable, because if we're not profitable, we won't stay in business", he said.

George Hosford is an arable farmer with around 2,000 acres west of Blandford.

He too is pleased that the government has committed £240m to the scheme, but is not confident the promised investment will materialize with a new prime minister and agriculture secretary likely to be in office soon.

"Every time we have a minister or a secretary of state changed, the NFU ends up banging its head against the wall thinking oh crumbs, we've got to go back to square one and we have to show them what food production and farming and environment and all that is actually about", he said.

According to Defra, the Farming Roadmap is the government's response to Baroness Minette Batters' independent Farming Profitability Review.

A former president of the National Farmers Union, Batters has campaigned for better food security for years and hopes the roadmap can go a long way to making the sector profitable.

"My review and this plan need to now be put into action", she said.

"It's about producing for what our home market wants. We can't be importing liquid milk. We should be producing much more of our fruit and vegetables. So we need now to get to the point of delivery and have a long term approach. That can't happen soon enough, quite honestly".

Current chair of the NFU in Dorset is egg producer, Tim Gelfs.

"It's great to have a 25 year plan and there are things in there that we do and don't agree with", he said.

"My biggest worry is that it's not going to be implemented. We've got government instability at the moment. We're looking at a new prime minister in the next fortnight. Are we going to have the same Secretary of State? Are we going to have a Treasury on our side?"

"For this roadmap to be implemented and be successful,we need a planning system on our side, and we need Treasury to back it with the money", Gelfs said.

You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.