THE devastation and despair caused by foot-and-mouth will dominate our memories of 2001, says the president of the National Farmers' Union, Mr Ben Gill.

The emotional heartache and the financial losses would take even longer to fade, but the first task of the new year must be to put foot-and-mouth behind us and ensure government closed the door on diseases from abroad.

"But we begin the new year, as ever, with fresh determination and a new agenda that must secure a profitable and sustainable future for agriculture in Britain," he said.

Co-operation would remain the key word; co-operation among farmers, farm businesses and the food chain, the industry and government and the European Commision.

Co-operation among farmers in buying or selling would help reduce costs and strengthen the trading position of individuals in an increasingly fiercely competitive global market.

Adding value would also continue to help farms improve their share of the final retail profits and additional business ventures were a valuable source of greater security. All these efforts must be supported and not thwarted by ill-judged government intervention.

The UK government must do what it could to promote excellence in British agriculture and support its efforts to flourish in the same way as other pro-active EU member states.

It must reduce the burdens of regulation, direct and indirect, on farmers and acknowledge our reputation as a world class player and performer.

It was far better to promote best practice while ensuring that the regulator's major effort fell on the small minority of backsliders.

For 2002 and beyond, all these issues and more must be tackled. The development of alternative crop uses, including green fuels, and increased incentives for biodiversity and environmental enhancement must be on the agenda at home and in Brussels.

Another task would be to ensure France complied with the court ruling on British beef. "We also need to make further progress in relaxing BSE restrictions as disease incidence continues to fall," said Mr Gill.

"The re-building work must begin in earnest and in a way that addresses the hurdles that have undermined the efforts of farmers for too long."

TFA chairman sets out agenda for new year

TENANT Farmers' Association national chairman, Mr Reg Haydon, has set out his agenda for change in his new year message.

"With the background of falling profitability over the last five years and the major blow of foot-and-mouth this year, our industry, with the co-operation of the government, must begin looking at the necessary strategies for recovery," he said.

Mr Haydon outlined the strategy which should emerge from various government reviews due to report in 2002.

Long-term food security must remain a policy goal and effective protection from imported disease be ensured. "To do this it must be recognised that the free market is both unattainable and undesirable for agriculture," he said.

Support for agricultural producers was still justified but the leakage of support away from its intended beneficiaries must be avoided, or significantly reduced.

A new policy framework should sustain the ability to maintain food security, allow farm businesses the freedom to thrive, support individuals and offer scope for rural land users to supply public goods and services in return for public payment.

"The UK should lobby for the introduction of a producer bond, with guaranteed payments to individual producers, in future CAP reform negotiations," said Mr Haydon.

Border protection would still be necessary to lessen the impact of unfair competition from abroad and to stop the influx of cheap imports produced to lower standards than home products.

If agri-environment schemes and rural development activity were to play a continuing high-profile role in government thinking tenants' problems in gaining access to such schemes must to be addressed. Tenants occupy 30pc of farmland in this country.

"Perhaps it is time for a change in the statutory definition of agriculture to allow tenants to be involved in a broader sweep of activities," he said. Farm business tenancies could have an important role in restructuring but they had suffered from short-termism and risk-averse landlords.

The retirement scheme promised in the government's election manifesto must also be introduced without delay