The new Labour government laid out its priorities for the next five years in power in the King’s Speech on Wednesday 17 July.

King Charles III set out the areas of policy the Government - headed by the new Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer - will work on during its term in office in the House of Lords as part of the traditional state opening of parliament.

The speech laid out some forty proposed pieces of new legislation, including plans to reform the planning system to encourage more housebuilding, investment in clean and renewable energy and creating a new industrial strategy.

Our farming landscape can deliver the right outcomes for climate, nature and food security, but only if farmers are given the right levels of support.

The NFFN says it is reassuring how seriously the new Government is taking the climate crisis, but it urgently needs to outline more of its thinking on how farming can play its part.

NFFN CEO Martin Lines said: “The focus in this speech on tackling the climate crisis is welcome. However, there is a concerning lack of detail on some of the most crucial issues facing farmers and food production.

“Most concerningly, the new government has not set out any specific policies on nature restoration when nature needs to be at the heart of its plans for green growth and a healthy nation. Our farming landscape can deliver the right outcomes for climate, nature and food security, but only if farmers are given the right levels of support.

“The farming sector urgently needs to see a strategic land use strategy from the Government and a detailed, ambitious plan for the agricultural transition to more nature-friendly food production techniques. When farms are already on the front line of the climate crisis, with the winter weather wreaking havoc with crop growth, there is very little time to lose.”

The NFFN is looking forward to working constructively with the new Government and MPs on how to push forward a better future for nature-friendly farming.