NFU

The NFU represents more than 46,000 farming and growing businesses. Our purpose is to champion British agriculture and horticulture, to campaign for a stable and sustainable future for British farmers and to secure the best possible deal for our members.

We strive to protect and promote British farm life and give our members a voice now and in the future.

Website

NFUOnline

We lobby to make change where change is needed most. Our job as the voice of British farming is to ensure that our members' businesses can thrive in the years ahead. Using our invaluable in-house technical experts at our headquarters in Stoneleigh, and our offices at the heart of Westminster and Brussels, we ensure that farming is never off the political agenda.

We pride ourselves on delivering that same campaigning expertise at a local level because we know what it means to be a farmer and understand the challenges and opportunities of running an agricultural business. With seven regional offices and NFU Cymru; 50 expert local advisers and over 380 NFU representatives across England and Wales, we have built crucial local connections to ensure we can make a difference with our members.

Related Organisations

Connected Content

Net Zero

In 2015, the UK pledged to be Net Zero by 2050, with the NFU striving for the more ambitious target of 2040. Net Zero is achieved when the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted is balanced with those removed from the atmosphere. This helps to combat climate change and reduce global warming.

YEN Zero Discussion Workshop

In our first workshop of the season and as part of the Countryside COP programme we met to introduce YEN Zero and discuss productivity and land use as it relates to crops and GHG emissions, addressing the questions: What is the role of productivity in reaching net zero agriculture? How do we balance meeting food demand while protecting our environment? Should we be ‘sparing’ land for nature or ‘sharing’ our agricultural land with nature?

YEN

Yield Enhancement Networks (YENs) were launched in 2012 to support and energise on-farm learning-by-sharing and thus to enhance farming progress.

YEN Zero

YEN Zero is a recently established network in the ADAS YEN Family, with the overarching aim of creating a net-zero community. It aims to bring key players from across the agricultural industry together to meet the industry’s target of achieving net zero emissions by 2040.

IPM NET

IPM NET is a new initiative which aims to improve the practical understanding and application of integrated pest management (for pests, weeds and diseases) for farmers, and inform policy design promoting IPM strategies.

Oxford Real Farming Conference 2023

Bringing the real food and farming movement together. Every January the Oxford Real Farming Conference connects people in the UK and around the globe who want to transform our food and farming system

Safety

With the high number of vehicles and machinery and potential for falling from heights, we all understand that farming is a hazardous occupation. It represents just under 2% of the workforce in Great Britain but accounts for around 19% of the reported fatal injuries each year.

Oxford Farming Conference

The Oxford Farming Conference (OFC) is the leading international conference held in the UK for farming and agribusiness. It takes place in January every year located in the historic and inspiring surroundings of Oxford University. The OFC's mission is to inform, challenge and inspire the 560 or so delegates who attend, to resonate and be a force for positive change throughout the industry. The 2023 conference is taking place between 4th-6th January - see our event page for more details in the 'recommended content' section below.

Countryside COP 10-14 October 2022

Ahead of COP27 in Egypt, Countryside COP will once again be held in October to allow the rural community to come together and showcase the opportunities available and the contribution already being made to reach Net Zero.

The British Farm Data Council

The British Farm Data Council is an independent not-for-profit group. Providing thought leadership and direction, seeking the gold standard for the British agrifood sector on standards and principles of farm data governance.

YEN shows new world record cereal yields are sustainable, profitable and inspiring

Roger Sylvester-Bradley Tuesday 31st January 2023 It’s news across the world – the biggest wheat crop ever grown, yielding 18 tonnes of grain per hectare! This is fantastic, and laudable in all respects, but it’s no accident.

Oxford Farming Conference 2023

OFC 2023 will explore systemic solutions to the cumulative biodiversity, climate, food and energy crises that collectively we are facing, with optimism and determination not to repeat the mistakes of the past.

Oxford Real Farming Conference

Bringing the real food and farming movement together. Every January the Oxford Real Farming Conference connects people in the UK and around the globe who want to transform our food and farming system. The ORFC23 is taking place between 4th-6th January 2023 - see our event page for more details in the 'recommended content' section below.

IPM NET: a knowledge exchange network to advance IPM.

Join us to kick-off the IPM Network pilot year, share your experiences with other attendees, tap into the expertise of our speakers and demonstrate the value of networks for knowledge exchange.

NFU Achieving Net Zero

NFU published a report in 2019 outling how agriculture can be part of the solution and commiting

ADAS, SRUC and the NFU are looking for farmers and growers to help guide the development of a new

Policy

Policy plays a critical role in shaping the agriculture industry in the UK and Europe. Government policies can have a major impact on the way that farmers operate, the crops they grow, and the prices they receive for their products. Policy has a major effect on how land is managed and environmental outcomes.

Farm Safety Partnership

The Farm Safety Partnership is a collaboration of organisations with a responsibility to show industry leadership by promoting safe systems of work within all sectors of agriculture.

School of Sustainable Food & Farming (SSFF)

Educating, inspiring and empowering current and future farmers to achieve net zero within a sustainable farming and food system.

The Agriculture and Land Use Alliance

The Agriculture and Land Use Alliance brings together all interested organisations/individuals across the UK pre-farm gate sector to drive change to a net zero economy through results-driven collaboration.

Journey to Net Zero Competition

The School of Sustainable Food and Farming Journey to Net Zero Competition is looking to support the development or implementation of a system, process or processes which will have a positive, measurable impact on how winners can farm in a sustainable way. There is a total of £50k available which will be awarded in grants of between £5k-20k.

BASIS Webinar - IPM in Agriculture

Live webinar on IPM in Agriculture on 10th November 2022

Lack of knowledge holding farmers back from investing in agri-tech - NFU Report

NFU Mutual found almost half (46.2%) of survey respondents said lack of knowledge was holding the

Manures vs mineral fertiliser

With the high prices of synthetic N fertiliser there have been suggestions that more nutrients could be utilised from manures. Indeed George Eustice suggested that there was enough organic manure available to totally displace the use of mineral fertilisers. This page discusses the realities and the opportunities - Join the Group to edit and add to the page, or comment below.

Low Carbon Agriculture Show 2023

The business event showcasing low carbon practices, technology and energy solutions for a profitable & sustainable farming future.

Championing the Farmed Environment

A partnership of agricultural, environmental and governmental bodies, promoting good environmental management through productive farming practices.

Low Carbon Agriculture 2023

The next Low Carbon Agriculture Show will take place on the 7 - 8 February 2023 at the National Agricultural Exhibition Centre (NAEC), Stoneleigh, to help farmers and landowners to rise to the challenge of producing more domestic, climate friendly food and energy.

Russ McKenzie: YEN’s Innovator of the Year in 2022

YEN Friday 3rd January 2023 Russ McKenzie awarded YEN's Innovator of the Year in 2022 at the 10th Anniversary YEN Conference.

YEN Entrants Achieve Top Bread-making Quality Despite Low Protein Season.

Sarah Clarke Friday 3rd January 2023 Excellent grain quality as well as high yields were celebrated at the YEN 10th Anniversary Conference, with the Milling Quality Awards sponsored by UK Flour Millers. All UK Group 1 milling wheat entries were eligible for this competition, a total of 20 for 2022.

IPM Planning Tool

Create IPM plans for your farm

NFU Presentation – AUC Retreat 2023

NFU slides developed to share with educators who lead agriculture degree courses at the AUC Educators Retreat 2023.

Crop Specific IPM Guidance - Pulses

This guidance documents provides advice on IPM measures for pulses insect pests and diseases.

Pulse PEP

Waterwise on the Farm

A simple guide to implementing a water management plan

NFU Review of Carbon Calculators

Review by NFU into carbon calculators - available to NFU members only

NFU Net Zero Case Studies