THE tide is turning and politicians are coming around to the fact that farming and food production actually matter.
That is the view of Christine Tacon, general manager of the 70,000 acres farmed under a wide range of agreements by the Co-op, which is by some margin the largest farming company in the UK.
Tacon, speaking exclusively to The Scotsman from the ce
ntenary conference and annual general meeting of the NFU of England and Wales in London, was upbeat in her prognosis for the industry, especially the arable sector.
She said: "It's hugely encouraging to have had all the major political leaders here and actually talking about food production and the sourcing of local produce, which is very much part of the Co-op farming ethos."
The Co-op business has a sound base in Scotland with over 30 per cent of its farm land north of the Border, principally in the Borders, Tayside and Aberdeenshire, and there could well be further expansion over the next few years.
However, Tacon admitted that the recent upsurge in farming profitably was not universal. She said: "From the personal perspective, while we have seen major increases in returns from cereals, potatoes and vining peas and, to a lesser extent, soft fruit, we are lucky to have only a minor involvement in beef, pigs or poultry, where the economics still do not stack up in financial terms."
The Co-op's first venture into farming dates as far back as 1896 from a very modest beginning, but the organisation now has a core rural staff of almost 200 plus a further 300 seasonal workers during the harvest season.
Tacon is one of the growing band of leading figures in the food industry who is willing to admit there is likely to be an increasing gap between what farmers can grow and market demands as the global population increases at a relentless pace.
However, she, in common with many leaders in the retail trade, remains wary of the prospect of genetically modified (GM) crops.
She said: "We have heard a lot over the last two days of the need to put agricultural science back on the map – and it has clearly been neglected for far too long – but we have to be careful. We have to be led and directed by our customers, and that will take a degree of education.
"But it is increasingly clear that they are interested in local food sourced as far as possible from local farms. That is a big challenge for everyone in the retail sector, but one that we welcome and reckon we can meet."
Traceability is a word that has entered the public lexicon in recent years and mostly at the top end of consumer spending power, but that is changing fast, according to Tacon. She said: "We are finding that more and more of the customers in our shops are asking questions: that has to be tackled. To that end we plan to make all our in-shop labels much more consumer-friendly, and that has to be in the best interests of our farmer suppliers."
On the subject of the proposed appointment of an ombudsman with a remit over supermarkets, as suggested by the Competition Commission last week, it is clear that Tacon understands the farming angle, but still has certain reservations.
She said: "There could be huge legal problems, but we have no fear about opening our books to close scrutiny. We feel a duty to meet the requirements of our millions of customers and their farmer suppliers."
