Five things we learnt at the Oxford farming conferences – Inside track

Early in January every year, Oxford hosts two farming conferences: the Oxford Farming Conference and the newer Oxford Real Farming Conference. Whilst the original conference is attended by the mainstream farming world, since 2010, the Real Farming Conference has brought together those interested in transforming the food system for the benefit of people and the environment, and now boasts more than 1,800 attendees.

Green Alliance was on the ground in Oxford this year and here are five things we learned:

1. Environmental issues are no longer just for the ‘other’ conference
In the past, nature and climate friendly farming has largely been the preserve of the Real Farming Conference. Now it is incredibly encouraging to see that environment is a major theme at both conferences. As the impacts of climate change become more evident in the UK, no one can pretend it isn’t a central issue for farmers.

Post-Brexit farm support schemes are focused on the delivery of environmental public goods, like flood prevention and peat restoration, and the industry broadly recognises it has to act fast on climate change. So ideas once only discussed at the Real Farming Conference are now topics the secretary of state and NFU are addressing. With agreement that farming needs to work more in harmony with the natural world and help meet climate goals, the focus now is on how to transition the industry swiftly and fairly, creating a more resilient food system and restoring nature.

2. It’s a tough time for farmers
What was clear at the conferences was that farmers are having a difficult time. Widespread flooding and summer heatwaves, both caused by climate change, have made it harder to reliably produce food, and this has been reflected in shortages on supermarket shelves.

At the same time, farmers are getting to grips with the new post-Brexit farming schemes, including the policy changes that come with a change in government, and grappling with a system where large food businesses are profiting most from the food farmers produce.

Yet, with challenges also come opportunities, provided the government ensures farmers have the support they need to capitalise on them. The Environmental Land Management (ELM) farm support schemes will be fairer, rather than half of payments going to the largest ten per cent of landowners, as happened under the former EU scheme.

To support farmers on the most precarious incomes, the farming budget must be bolstered and the government should ensure farmers can access Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship and Landscape Recovery, the more ambitious payment schemes that can provide higher farm incomes in return for more ambitious environmental work. Independent analysis commissioned by the RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts and the National Trust suggests the farming budget should be £3.1 billion a year in England to capitalise on the opportunities of the agricultural transition.

3. Strategies are good, but farmers want action
A Farming Roadmap 2050, the Land Use Framework consultation, a new food strategy, the review of the Environmental Improvement Plan. Consultations, strategies and action plans just keep coming from government. It is fantastic to see the new government getting stuck into policy development and looking to set long term direction for land use and nature policy. But this has to be accompanied by action to tackle problems in the here and now, a sentiment reflected by many speakers and attendees in Oxford.

In particular, Defra should ensure its ambitions are high and that it’s ready to meet demand from farmers to deliver big improvements on the land they manage, and receive fair returns for doing so.

4. Supply chain reforms will help farmers and the environment
With farmers struggling to make ends meet from the food they produce and consumers still suffering from a high cost of living making it harder to put food on the table, attention is turning to those profiting from food production. Steve Reed’s speech at the Oxford Farming Conference committed to change the relationship between farmers, manufacturers, processors and supermarkets, noting that currently “risks and rewards are not spread evenly across the food chain”. Whoever you speak to in farming, it is clear the status quo cannot remain and supply chain reform is needed.

The opportunity this presents is vast. Large food businesses and supermarkets make immense profits – Tesco alone made £2.3 billion in pre-tax profits in 2023-24 – and should pay farmers a fair price for the food they produce, without passing costs onto consumers.

Food businesses should also be paying their share to reverse the environmental damage caused throughout their supply chains. On issues like water, where agriculture is responsible for 50 to 60 per cent of nitrate pollution and 75 per cent of the sediment clogging up waterways in England and Wales, strong reforms, centred on the polluter pays principle, could be transformative in cleaning up pollution.

5. Great grassroots ideas must be fed into government policy
It’s impossible to attend the Oxford Real Farming Conference without exposure to a plethora of inspiring grassroots community food projects and pioneers. Here are just a few we heard about this year. Better Food Shed, helps to distribute ethically produced food to London’s councils, schools and households. Ripple Effect works with farmers in rural Africa, empowering them to farm more sustainably and boost food security in their communities. It was great to hear from Tom Pearson too, an arable farmer and doctor looking at how to boost food resilience and provide access to nature in his Cambridgeshire community.

Yet, the potential impact of these projects will be limited if there is a disconnect between their ideas and government policy. In developing new strategies and roadmaps, the government should listen to initiatives like these trying to do things differently, as well as conventional farmers, especially those tackling interconnected issues like health, poverty and inequality.