Farming leaders welcome Spelman as new minister

THE politician who will lead the UK team into the CAP reform talks is Caroline Spelman, following her appointment as UK secretary of state for the environment, food and rural affairs.

Spelman has a long history in international agricultural politics having previously been a research fellow for the Centre of European Agricultural Studies and a deputy director of European Beet Growers.

She is the Conservative member for Meridan and was first elected to Parliament in 1997.

Her appointment was welcomed by farming leaders, with NFU president Peter Kendall saying he looked forward to an early meeting with the minister.

Kendall accepted that the scale of action needed to reduce the budget deficit was extraordinary and would impact across every area of government and that Defra would not be immune from the measures that would require to be taken.

"For us, protecting the competitiveness of the food and farming sector is paramount. The challenge of ensuring food supplies for the UK and the rest of the world is simply too great and too serious for it to be put at risk," he said.

"We will be looking very closely at emerging policy statements to make sure that does not happen and that any cuts which have to be made actually go towards enhancing the ability of farmers and growers to compete."

Jim McLaren, of NFU Scotland, reckoned Spelman's knowledge of the agricultural industry in Europe would stand her in good stead and her fluency in both French and German would help in negotiations in Brussels.

"In the past, the UK's negative stance on CAP has often left it isolated within Europe and we hope that the new minister will take a more positive view of the benefits delivered by such support.

"We also hope this will mark the beginning of an improvement in the relationship between the industry in Scotland and Defra, which has been strained in the past."

Kendall also welcomed the appointment of Chris Huhne as the new secretary of state for energy and climate change.

"I am convinced that farmers have a central role to play in the low-carbon economy that figures as an ambition in both parties' manifestos. And with his having held the shadow portfolio for Defra, I am sure that Mr Huhne will have a keen grasp of farming's potential," he said.

Despite farming being a devolved matter, McLaren also said he looked forward to discussing "issues that have proved frustrating" with newly appointed Scottish Secretary of State, Danny Alexander.