They wave through solar monstrosities – but make the people feeding Britain jump through hoops just to build a chicken shed, writes former National Farmers’ Union chief MINETTE BATTERS
The news that an even larger swath of beautiful countryside will be ruined by thousands of acres of solar farms has me throwing my hands up in the air in despair.
Residents of Burnhope in County Durham will be no less frustrated by a planning system that paved the way for 110,640 solar panels to be installed on 14 sites with little local review.
Ministers have relaxed planning rules so much that judicial reviews are not allowed ‘other than human rights’. It becomes a free for all.
Of course, I am horrified at the prospect of these disgusting structures taking over our fields. But my anger goes much deeper than that.
This is another blow for the agricultural sector; because many of these solar farms are located on valuable, productive land that is desperately needed for food production.
For example, Sunnica Energy Farm on the Suffolk-Cambridgeshire border, which received planning approval in 2024, will destroy 2,500 acres (900 football fields) of land. Half of it is prime agricultural land, or 1,250 acres are out of service.
This is ridiculous but I’m afraid it’s entirely symptomatic of this government’s view of farmers; It’s something I’ve seen time and time again as President of the National Farmers Union from 2018 to 2024.
How can it make sense for Ed Miliband to override local planners and allow an eyesore solar farm (whose lithium batteries have already been proven to be a major fire risk) while a farmer has to jump through endless hoops at huge cost to extend a building like a chicken coop to meet higher welfare food production requirements?
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, who is facing backlash over his plans to build more solar farms, was photographed leaving a Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street last week.
Ministers will relax planning rules so much that judicial reviews will not be allowed ‘on any grounds other than human rights’.
This is complete madness and means we are absorbing imports produced to lower standards.
The situation is the same with reservoirs. It is obvious that farmers need water to irrigate crops. Small reservoirs on the farm will benefit the countryside and help reduce food production costs.
But I have countless horror stories of farmers fighting red tape for up to five years to get permission to build a reservoir, only to be turned away at the last hurdle.
As well as the time and energy spent, they have also spent thousands of pounds on everything from legal fees to expert advice. Anyone who has watched Jeremy Clarkson’s brilliant TV series Clarkson’s Farm will have an idea of the bureaucratic nightmares we endure as standard.
It may be entertaining to watch Jeremy battle West Oxfordshire District Council over simple things like what color to paint the roof of his farm shop, but if you’re a farmer it’s hard not to want to cry while watching.
The sad thing is that farmers have so much to offer society. I recently visited a cheesemaker in the South West who is exporting green biogas to power more than 6,000 local homes.
Farming is a win-win for us all: affordable food, fuel, fibre, water and energy, while preserving the patchwork quilt we all love.
As I explain in my new book, Harvest, the reality is that we are running out of time to make simple but vital changes that will enable us to produce the food we need. Relying on imports, as we have done for so long, is dangerously insane.
Global crises, from the war in Ukraine to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, should teach us how important it is to build our local food resilience.
We were already faced with food stamps. In 2023, we produced one billion fewer eggs after gasoline prices skyrocketed, so farmers had no choice but to stop production and we imported more eggs.
Jeremy Clarkson fought with West Oxfordshire District Council over simple things like the color he could paint the roof of his farm shop in the TV series Clarkson’s Farm.
Minette Batters, former president of the National Farmers Union, speaks at the National Farmers Union conference in Birmingham in 2023
We need to produce more food here because it keeps more money in the UK economy, creating jobs and economic growth.
Worryingly, UK farms now produce less than 65 per cent of domestically purchased food; this rate was 78 percent in 1984.
Costs for farmers are expected to be 30 per cent higher next year than five years ago, and Britain’s £2.4bn farming budget has remained almost flat since 2007.
We need the government to work with us, not tie our hands behind our backs.
Simply put, with 70 million people to feed, the nation’s food security must be taken as seriously as the needs of our defense.
Planning permission should be accelerated to allow for new buildings and extensions of existing buildings, new reservoirs on farms, solar power on rooftops (not productive areas) and small turbines to power local communities and provide affordable energy for food production.
The sector needs a Secretary of State for Food (not a minister) in the Cabinet, backed by the best business advice on how to quickly position agriculture as a leading industry.
I believe there is great goodwill towards farmers, as seen in the public reaction to Labour’s attempt to destroy small family farms.
It’s time for the Government to wake up and get on with the job of feeding Britain.
l Harvest by Minette Batters is out now (Penguin, £22).
