Morning, Thursday, 10th September 2026
Online
This conference will focus on next steps for agricultural policy in the UK.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to examine latest thinking on options for responding to both immediate and long-term challenges around sector productivity and sustainability, environmental stewardship, and questions of fairness across the supply chain. The discussion comes as an interrelated set of significant plans and initiatives are developed affecting farming and the food system.
Policy, sector priorities & coordination
Delegates will consider priorities for the forthcoming 25-Year Farming Roadmap - and for the recently launched Farming and Food Partnership Board of food system leaders and government, and its mission to advance practical pathways to improved profitability, alongside the capacity to withstand economic and environmental pressures. We also expect the development of sector growth plans for horticulture and poultry to be assessed, and what they may imply for wider agricultural productivity and food system strategy.
Discussion will draw on recommendations from the recently published Farming Profitability Review report on key financial challenges for agricultural enterprises of different scales across the UK. Concerns around farm business viability, access to investment, and a need for policy and funding clarity will be considered - including practical challenges faced by tenant, upland, and smaller farms. Attendees will also consider the role of the Farm Tenancy Forum and planned reforms to strengthen engagement with tenant farmers in policy development and decision-making.
Further areas for discussion include the next phase of the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme and its practical delivery, including how scheme design, eligibility requirements, and administration may affect participation and confidence among farmers, and what may be needed to ensure alignment between environmental objectives, productive farming, and long-term sector sustainability.
Farm support scheme design, access & administration
Sessions will focus on practical rollout of funding schemes and how these could best be structured to support farm business viability and the integration of environmental outcomes with productive farming. Delegates will explore questions around the design and delivery of the SFI, including links to food production, the potential application of the Active Farmer Principle, and what measures could strengthen confidence in long-term scheme stability.
They will also consider potential implications of the proposed SFI £100k payment cap, particularly for collaboration and different farm business structures. Attendees will look at how eligibility rules and landlord consent requirements might affect access for tenant, upland, and smaller farms, and approaches to supporting fair and equitable participation.
Options for application processes, scoring frameworks, and inspection regimes will be discussed, including how proportionality and administrative efficiency could be improved while maintaining accountability. Further consideration will be given to the role of private finance and investment, and how these might complement public funding and contribute to sustainable outcomes.
Supply chain regulation, pricing & trading relationships
Further sessions will assess options for strengthening fairness and competitiveness across the supply chain, in the context of the role and remit of the Farming and Food Partnership Board in enhancing food security and supporting agricultural productivity.
Enforcement and scope of supply chain codes will be examined as part of the ongoing Statutory Review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator, which is assessing whether current powers and oversight remain adequate for addressing imbalances in retailer-supplier relationships, including calls for better coordination with the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator. Questions raised around price transmission, retailer bargaining power, and distribution of costs will also be considered, as well as how fair dealings regulations might apply to specific sectors and their potential role as other sectors are reviewed.
Opportunities for improving farmers’ access to market data to strengthen price negotiation, and for mitigating disproportionate risks for producers will also be discussed.
Land use policy, climate resilience & environmental outcomes
Discussion will consider plans in the recently published Land Use Framework for England for establishment of a Land Use Unit to identify spatial priorities, alongside the commitment of up to £50m in funding to support farmers in climate resilience. We expect a focus on how policy priorities across land use, water quality, and nutrient management can be coordinated in practice with objectives for productivity, competitiveness, and climate action, while addressing potential trade-offs between agricultural output, planning reform, and nature recovery.
Sector growth, diversification & long-term policy framework
Those attending will discuss the way forward for translating sector growth plans into measurable improvements in productivity and market performance. Areas for discussion include how environmental initiatives can be developed in support of long-term rural economic sustainability. Priorities for governance arrangements will be considered, in terms of strengthening cross-departmental and policy coordination. Delegates will also look at environmental and animal welfare standards in relation to trade policy, including approaches to addressing competitive disadvantages faced by domestic producers operating to higher welfare standards.
Discussion will also consider opportunities for expanding rural diversification and new income streams. With the announcement of the £30m Farmer Collaboration Fund aimed at supporting new business opportunities and collaboration, delegates will assess options for expanding agri-tourism and on-farm diversification - including opportunities within planning reform, and the targeting of investment and business support, to help foster sustainable rural growth for farm businesses alongside environmental outcomes.
Delegates will examine the positioning of food production within the broader concept of public goods, and implications of giving greater weight to agricultural development under the National Planning Policy Framework. Inheritance tax reform will also be discussed including implications for succession planning, farm structure, and long-term business continuity.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, NI; Department for Business and Trade; Climate Change Committee; Environment Agency; Health and Safety Executive; Food Standards Agency; Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; National Wealth Fund; the Isle of Man Government; the Welsh Government; and The Scottish Government.
