Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor

Liberal Democrats set out ambitious plans to spend a £1 billion more supporting farming

The Liberal Democrat conference has set out ambitious plans to support farming and the rural community.

At the core of the plan is the recognition that farming sits at the heart of the rural community. Without a healthy farming sector there will be no healthy rural community. Currently farmers face huge pressures both from the botched implementation of the replacement for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS), and trade deals that undercut the high quality, high welfare farming standards British farmers have.

The Liberal Democrat plan is the proposal to spend another £1 billion on the ELMS scheme. As Stuart Roberts, former Deputy President of the NFU, said at the conference “it is not a binary choice, either high environmental standards or more food production” we can have both. But we will have to meet the cost for farmers to deliver both. That is why the Liberal Democrats have committed to increasing the £2.4 billion ELMS budget by £1 billion.

Farmers directly and indirectly are responsible for some 70% of UK land. In many places other businesses such as tourism are completely dependent on the management of land by farmers for their own success. Underinvesting in our farmers is bad for our food, our economy and our environment. Compare the proposed £3.5 billion with the £11 billion we spend on roads, or the £9 billion going to private landlords through housing benefit payments. £3.5 billion really is a huge bargain.

The conference adopted a raft of other policies to help farming and rural communities. More ‘teeth’ for the Grocery Code Adjudicator to ensure farmers get a fair deal from the supermarkets; greater powers for local councils to ensure affordable homes for agricultural and other rural workers, and to control the proliferation of short-term rentals and second homes; commitments to improve rural transport; commitments to better broadband provision; commitments to better visa regimes so farmers can access the foreign workers they need and not plough unharvested food into the ground or slaughter and bury livestock.

At a time that the Conservatives have abandoned the rural community, and Labour seem obsessed with rewinning the urban, northern ‘red wall’ seats only the Liberal Democrats are speaking out for our farmers and rural communities. If we do not support our farmers our food supplies, environment and rural communities will all suffer. Now is the time for action as many of our farmers now face a real crisis. I call on the Conservative Government to sort out ELMS and ensure farmers are fairly rewarded for the many things the country asks of them.

Your sincerely,

Mark Wooding

Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Central Devon