Farmers in my constituency – where 85% of land is agricultural – tell me the best way to support them is buy British produce. So, I approached supermarkets with one simple ask: implement ‘Buy British’ sections online so consumers can easily find homegrown produce.
This small but meaningful change – quickly taken up by Morrisons, Aldi, Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Waitrose, Co-op, Tesco and Asda – makes it easier for shoppers to support our farmers and reduce unnecessary food miles. Fast forward to today, and there remain many issues affecting farmers; the cost of energy and fertiliser is stubbornly high, weather wreaks havoc on harvests, and uncertainty persists around the impact of tariffs.
But the biggest threat to farmers? This Labour Government. Over the past six months the Government has been tightening the screws.
It began with changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief, two forms of protection for family farms which prevented them from being forced to sell land to pay crippling tax bills.
Next, the Government scrapped the £10million Farming Resilience Fund which provided business advice and vital mental health support, when it had become more essential than ever.
Then the Government announced it wouldn’t extend the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme, a lifeline for many food growers.
And recently, the Sustainable Farming Incentive – the key funding stream for farmers – closed with no warning. Despite the Government’s website stating they would give six weeks’ notice.
All these changes beg the question: what does Labour have against our farmers? It’s time for us to step up and put food security squarely on the nation’s table.