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By Alistair DriverFARMING Minister Jim Paice haschallenged British farmers to ‘setthe industry on fire’by leaving thepast behind and embracing theopportunities on offer in today’smarketplace.Speaking at the Oxford FarmingConference, Mr Paice laid outhis vision for British farmingbased on seeking out new globalmarkets, innovating using allavailable technologies and ultimatelythriving without thesupport of direct subsidies.He also revealed Defra wouldbe hosting an ‘innovation summit’in London in March followed by aseries of ‘practical’regional events.He dismissed the view of farming‘as a quaint old industry’ andurged farmers to look to the future.“We can keep the cosy imageof Buttercup in the field producinga few litres a day and thebucolic farmer leaning on his gateWe can sentimentalise farmers assmall players in a market dominatedby supermarkets at homeand multinational conglomeratesabroad,”he said.“Or we can set this industry onfire and take the opportunities andface the reality they provide.”He insisted his comments werenot about advocating ‘big, corporate’farms over ‘small, family’businesses: “It is about attitude:whether to pine for the old days ofgovernment intervention and protection,or to face the challenges.”At the heart of his speech wasthe need for the industry to use ‘thebest research, technology andknowledge transfer we can get’ tohelp boost production, while protectingresources and biodiversity.Mr Paice identified the Agricultureand Horticulture DevelopmentBoard (AHDB) as the‘professional body’ to drive the industryforward in this area and hadasked AHDB chairman John Godfreyto address how this could beachieved. He stressed the industryneeded to accept it was competingin a global food marketplace andto seek out export opportunities‘where we are most competitive’.Shadow Defra Secretary MaryCreagh said food was ‘one of thedefining political issues of this century’,but criticised the Governmentfor failing to address all theissues surrounding it.Highlighting the role farmingand food can play in stimulatingeconomic recovery, she warned ofincreasing food poverty in the UKagainst a backdrop of rising foodprices, exacerbated, she claimed,by commodity speculation.NFU president Peter Kendallsaid he was heartened by MrPaice’s message.With Britain set to take centre stage this year, we celebrate all rural Britain has to offer.NEWS 2-3BUSINESS 10MACHINERY 18LIVESTOCK 46YOUNGSTOCK 52SALES 54IN YOUR FIELD 60WILLIAM AND ANDREWCOWX, CUMBRIA25Subscribe toAgriculture’s National NewspaperFarmersWWW.FARMERSGUARDIAN.COMGuardianFRIDAY JANUARY 6 2012 £2.00AGRICULTURE’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPERLOCALLY-PRODUCEDNEW WAYS OF ATTRACTINGCUSTOMERS p50-51British farmers urged toseize new opportunitiesrOperating in a trulyglobal marketplacerSurviving withoutGovernment subsidyDriving ambitionRENEWED PASSIONA COUNTRYSIDECELEBRATION p48-49BEST OF BRITISH FARMING Special issueLAMMA 2012 31-PAGE SHOW PREVIEW p15-45PPA EDITORIAL CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR WINNER 2008 AND 2011OLYMPIC SHOWCASETime for British produceto shine p6-7AMBASSADORSPOTATO GROWERS’PUBLICITY DRIVE p1288 PAGES OFNEWS ANDCLASSIFIEDSFull reportfrom OxfordBuilding yourown websiteUK machineryin focusBeef’s uniqueselling pointAgriventurecompetitionReports fromaround the UK“We can be quitepleased with thereturns we havehad for both cattleand sheep”Save 20%Pay £22.88 everyquarter, equivalent toonly £1.76 per issueFree first class postCall now on 01858 438 893 and quote HH12or visit www.farmersguardian.com/hh12FG281No.1 for livestockcoverage andauctionsFG281_A5_30%subs_ad(HH12).indd 1 25/06/2012 17:15