On 31 July 2024, DEFRA published the results of its most recent farmer opinion tracker (from surveys carried out in April of this year).  The results provide an insight into farmer confidence concerning the marketplace and Government schemes. One of the interesting results was the very low level of confidence amongst farmers about the likelihood that the current schemes being developed by DEFRA would be good for farming.

The TFA’s Chief Executive, George Dunn, said “I am not surprised to see the reported low level of confidence amongst farmers on whether the current suite of schemes will improve farming. The fact that none of the 130 tenant farmers who took part in the surveys felt confident in this must sound alarm bells within DEFRA, and lead to urgency in picking up the reins in respect of the recommendations contained within the Rock Review into agricultural tenancies, on which work has stalled since the General Election. However, it was interesting to note that 72% of tenant farmers reported that producing for the market was very important for their businesses. Alongside improving scheme design, this must surely send a signal to the Government that it must address market failures within supply chains and to ensure greater degree of fairness as between primary producers and the rest of the food supply chain”.

To access the data from the opinion tracker in full, click here.

To hear more about the survey and the views of TFA Chief Executive, George Dunn, why not listen to his BBC Radio 4 Farming Today interview, from 05 August 2024, where he talks specifically about the confidence levels among tenant farmers and DEFRA’s ability to deliver changes in farm support, especially in relation to tenants losing land as landlords end agreements early.

The 3-min interview can be accessed from the link below and starts just after 7 mins 30s https://bbc.in/4dpTGuE