²ÝÁñÉçÇø

Future farming policy could once again hang in the balance as reports Environment Secretary Therese Coffey could be ousted in a forthcoming reshuffle.

Dr Coffey, who has been in post since last October, is rumoured to be one of the ministers who may be facing a move following the shake up sparked by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace's resignation announcement.

Conservative Party insiders have said revamping his Cabinet will give Prime Minister Rishi Sunak the opportunity to reconsider policies should the party lose the three key by-elections which are being held this week - two of which in key rural constituencies, Selby and Ansty in North Yorkshire and Somerset and Frome in the south west. 

The results, in what are long-held Tory seats, could reflect badly on the Secretary of State and her approach to rural policymaking.

Experience

Dr Coffey first arrived at Defra in 2016 as a junior minister. In September 2019 she left the department and was appointed Work and Pensions Secretary under Boris Johnson, before serving as Health Secretary during Liz Truss's brief tenure. She was returned to Defra following Rishi Sunak's accession to Conservative leader.

As the third Defra boss in almost as many months, her appointment was cautiously welcomed by the industry, owing to her previous experience of the department. She is also the MP for a rural seat Suffolk Coastal and has regularly spoken out in the House of Commons on matters concerning the needs of farmers.

At the time, NFU president Minette Batters extended her congratulations and said: "I look forward to working with the new Secretary of State to provide urgent clarity for farmers and growers on the new Environmental Land Management schemes to ensure they can deliver a thriving food and farming sector, alongside and equal to continued environmental protection and enhancement."

However, within the space of just a few months, the relationship appeared a little strained as the Secretary of State was openly booed at the NFU Conference where she dismissed Ms Batters' concerns regarding the struggling egg sector, repeatedly denying there had been 'market failure'. She also brushed aside the ongoing food shortages, suggesting that people should swap salad items for parsnips.

After cutting the Q&A session short as she had a ‘train to catch', Ms Batters suggested that the SoS would need to ‘jog to the station'.

However, the roll-out of new policies regarding enhanced Countryside Stewardship and a raft of ‘pick and mix' SFIs appeared to have been met with a degree of positivity and the much heralded Downing Street Farm to Fork Food Summit was also welcomed, although as many of the industry have pointed out, nothing concrete has emerged from the event so far.

Cheshire-based dairy farmer Charles Goadby said that what is key for the post holder, whether that is Dr Coffey or a new minister is that they must start to listen and act on behalf of farmers.

"Having been in the department before, it was hoped Therese Coffey would understand what was required but that has not been the case," Mr Goadby said.

"What we need is someone to get a grip on what is happening. We need clarity, we need stability and we need someone who has the confidence to talk to and listen to farmers."

Lee Stiles, spokesperson for Lea Valley Growers, said: "She did not behave as if she wanted the role and did not display any enthusiasm for the food part of Defra or competency when dealing with the issues facing growers.

"Any replacement should visit the Lea Valley Growers and listen to our concerns about labour, energy and pricing."

Defra was approached for the purposes of this article.