Farmers frustrated by Defra Secretary's comment to diversify in order to be profitable

Mr Reed said: "Food production will always be the primary purpose of the farming sector, but for all farm businesses, tenants, upland and others, to stay viable in an increasingly uncertain world and to make sure they can keep producing the food we all need, they must be able to profit from other activities"

Chief Reporter

10 January 2025 鈥� 4 min read

Farmers have shared their frustration over Defra Secretary Steve Reed's comment that all farmers should diversify to manage risk across the food supply chain. Diversification Speaking to delegates...

Farming Matters: "Are governments listening or have they just learnt to say the right words?"

Rory Hutchings, partner and head of agriculture and estates at HCR Law, discusses the current rhetoric on farming coming from Westminster and the Senedd in Wales.

Farmers Guardian

11 July 2026 鈥� 4 min read

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Gov scraps mandatory public consultation on data centres amid ongoing concerns for the countryside

The changes are expected to cut pre-application time by up to 12 months and save developers 拢1 billion on major infrastructure projects

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Defra breached law when allowing farmers to use pesticides, watchdog finds

The assessment process for emergency authorisations of pesticides is now to be updated following the investigation by the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP)

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