Economic Development Minister says that he will be asking for £1.86m for agriculture in the Medium Term Financial Plan, which is due to be presented to the States at the end of this month.
Speaking to the Jersey Chamber of Commerce yesterday, the minister said the importance of agriculture to the Island’s environment and well-being had been ‘grossly underplayed’, but was a high priority for his department.
‘For many years support has, in the main, been subsidy based, guided by the Rural Economic Strategy laid before the States in 2011. Much has changed and the time has come for this strategy to be reviewed,’ he told Chamber members.
‘One thing is clear – the new strategy must take a more radical approach to support for agriculture, driven by a need to increase exports, increase productivity through increasing levels of automation and innovation and increase profitability in the dairy and other sectors.’
Jersey Dairy, in particular, was now breaking even, but profitability was ‘not what it should be,’ he said. ‘While there are producers making a reasonable return, there are many who are not.’
The Jersey Royal potato, too, faced challenges, said the minister. ‘The Jersey Royal still enjoys a strong UK market, but its very future is threatened by disease, borne at least in part by the approach to crop rotation, which has to be addressed.’
Announcing a new Rural Strategy Advisory Board drawn from across the sector, Senator Farnham said that he would be working closely with Environment Minister Steve Luce to recommend a new strategic direction for agriculture, increase profitability and productivity and ensure that environmental standards were met.
‘I also hope to see more collaboration between the rural and visitor economies, where we must exploit the opportunities to promote our Island jointly wherever possible,’ he added.
THE farming community has thrown its weight behind the Jersey Evening Post’s Keep Jersey Farming campaign.
Over the coming months, the RJAHS, the Jersey Farmers Union and Genuine Jersey Products Association will be working with the JEP to put the Island’s forgotten industry back on the map.
They are urging Islanders to show their support for farming and the country way of life by attending the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society summer country show this weekend.
The JEP will be at the show handing out thousands of car stickers and asking people to add their voice to an important campaign by displaying them.
James Godfrey, chief executive of the RJAHS, which promotes agriculture, horticulture and all things rural in Jersey’s culture, said: ‘We are delighted to be supporting the Keep Jersey Farming campaign, and are very pleased that the Jersey Evening Post has chosen to lead this initiative to raise awareness of the importance of agriculture to the Island.’
Graham Le Lay, president of the Jersey Farmers’ Union which was formed in 1919 to promote agriculture and horticulture in Jersey and to protect and preserve the industry for the benefit of the Island, also urged Islanders to support farmers by buying local produce.
‘Keeping Jersey farming is a must, as the alternative is a scenario I do not want to contemplate, so the campaign has my full support.
‘The farming industry might not be high on the Island’s financial ladder, but it brings benefits which are hard to quantify and its loss would be disastrous for the whole Island in so many ways,’ he said.
The third organisation backing the campaign is the Genuine Jersey Products Association which promotes the diversity and quality of local products and currently has 170 members, with more than half being farmers and food producers.
‘It is great to see the JEP focussing on this fundamentally important sector of our economy and we hope that Islanders will get behind the campaign by displaying the car stickers with pride,’ said chief executive John Garton.
The show takes place at the Royal Jersey Showground in Trinity from 10.30 am to 5 pm Saturday and Sunday and features the Spring Cattle Show, the Early Summer Flower Show, a small animal farm for children and a traditional country show.
The JEP will be handing out campaign stickers for Islanders to back the farmers, with an Islandwide poster and banner campaign to follow over the summer.
Editor Andy Sibcy said: ‘The JEP has an important role to play in promoting and supporting what is great about our Island community. Farming has been a part of the fabric of Jersey for centuries and farmers are the custodians of the countryside.
‘I am sure that Islanders will get behind the campaign and display the stickers to show their support for Jersey’s farmers.’
Stickers will be available at the JEP offices at Five Oaks and in farm shops from next week.
JERSEY today, its environment, people, culture and traditions have been shaped by the fortunes of farming families, many of whom feel they now work in a forgotten industry.
At election time, when aspiring politicians and States Members promise to make farming their priority, they raise the hopes of those in agriculture; only to dash them when they are in power.
Those farming families, many of whose roots go back through centuries, were at the vanguard of dynamic and inventive practices which produced arguably the world’s best dairy cow and new potato.
They also made an indelible impact on Island life in producing generations of leading Island figures in the professions and politics – and in laying the foundations of the finance industry.
Agriculture was once the dominant economic force, until it was overtaken by tourism – only for both sectors to be eclipsed by finance, an industry which has changed, and continues to change the face of the Island, alarmingly so some would say, and to pre-occupy political agendas.
The number of farms has declined dramatically since the Liberation, when there were over 1,000 holdings, to fewer than 100 commercial operations in 2015.
Today agriculture needs to be heard, and the JEP is giving it a voice through its Keep Jersey Farming campaign, supported by the RJAHS, Genuine Jersey and the JFU.
From comments made yesterday to the Jersey Chamber of Commerce by Economic Development Minister Lyndon Farnham, it looks like ministers are willing to listen.
Senator Farnham told the business organisation’s members that the importance of agriculture to the Island’s environment had been grossly underplayed and a more radical approach to support for the industry was needed.
Fine words which must be followed through.
This weekend the industry, the people who work in it and all aspects of the rural economy will be on display at the RJAHS Summer Country Show at the Royal Jersey Showground in Trinity.
Islanders who care about Jersey can show their support for the Island’s forgotten industry by attending the show. The JEP and Jepson the bear will be at the fun family event giving out Keep Jersey Farming car stickers. Thousands of these stickers in the rear windows of vehicles across the Island will help ensure those in power do not forget a great Jersey industry.
