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Andy Burnham said the Government has a “long way to go to build back trust” with farmers, and that the UK needs to “guarantee our own food production going forward”.
It comes as the Prime Minister unveiled a £65 million funding package for farmers, amid fears hot, dry weather could drive up food prices on supermarket shelves.
Food producers have been facing a multitude of challenges in recent weeks as large areas of the country experience a series of heatwaves, little rainfall and drought.
Many have been forced to harvest crops early, while others are seeing lower yields and lower quality produce, following the driest July on record.
Sir Keir Starmer’s government faced months of sustained mass protests by farmers, including tractors being driven down Whitehall in opposition to new inheritance tax laws.
His government had planned to impose inheritance tax on farmers’ business assets after the first £1 million, but raised the tax-free threshold to £2.5 million in a U-turn just before Christmas.
Mr Burnham visited a family-run potato farm near Truro, Cornwall, on Saturday that has been affected by the drought and met National Farmers’ Union (NFU) president Tom Bradshaw.
Speaking to broadcasters at Colwyn farm, Mr Burnham said: “I realise we’ve got a long way to go to build back trust with the farming community across the country.
“I think it’s probably been the hardest summer for British farming in a generation.”
The Prime Minister added: “I see food and farming as part of national resilience, national infrastructure.
“We need to be able to guarantee our own food production going forward.”
Mr Burnham said the £65 million funding package was “new money coming from Defra budgets”.
Speaking at a meeting with the family who runs FG Pryor & Son Ltd farm, Mr Burnham said the measures announced were “hopefully a sign of intent and an indication to the industry that we want a new conversation”.