According to a new report from the Commons’ food, environment and rural affairs committee, more needs to be done to get young people into the farming industry. Failure to do so would jeopardise the UK’s food supply.
This problem is compounded by the fact that farmers are getting older. The committee found the average age is around 60, making the need for a younger workforce even more crucial. The MPs said the UK needs a “vibrant, innovative and professional UK farming sector” and a “regular inflow of new entrants to the sector”.
These new workers would also have to understand and be enthusiastic about using new technologies to ensure the industry was not only productive but competitive as well.
The NFU said they were issues with recruiting young people. Norfolk’s NFU chairman, Ken Proctor, remarked that the challenge was with needing skilled staff: “They have to be skilled people. If you took a young person on to drive a tractor now, there are health and safety issues and there is an awful lot of lone working. Farms are getting bigger and bigger.”