Rishi Sunak reassured farmers of his support, declaring “I have your back” during his speech at the National Farmers Union (NFU) conference.
Sunak, the first prime minister to address the NFU conference since Gordon Brown in 2008, brought along three Defra ministers to advocate for the Conservative stance on farming.
In his address, Sunak pledged to overhaul the government’s approach to farming, aiming to “change the culture” surrounding agricultural policies.
He emphasized the importance of enhancing food security within the UK, expressing particular concern over the country’s low self-sufficiency in staple food.
In a lighter moment, Sunak shared that he had “once milked a cow.”
During a brief Q&A session, Sunak answered questions from the audience, including one from a farmer named Hannah from Hertfordshire.
Responding to her query, he acknowledged the ongoing challenges related to facilitating trade between farmers and the EU, characterizing it as a “work in progress.”
Farmers have expressed criticism toward trade agreements that negatively impact their businesses.
Among these agreements, the free trade deal with Australia has been cited as a concern, along with the potential importation of Canadian pork and Mexican beef.
Sunak said, “We are absolutely committed to supporting you and making sure that you are not undercut.”
He also empathized with the victims of the recent floods, which had devastated vast areas of crops, leaving thousands of acres destroyed.
According to recent polling conducted by the Country Land and Business Association, there has been a significant shift in political allegiances among rural voters, with many turning towards the Labour Party.
The data reveals that Labour’s share of the vote has surged to 37%, marking a notable increase of 17 points compared to the 2019 general election.
Meanwhile, the Conservative Party has seen a decline in support, with its share dropping by 25 points to 34%.
Furthermore, the survey indicates that a greater proportion of respondents believe Labour demonstrates an understanding of and respect for rural communities and their way of life compared to the Conservatives.
Specifically, 28% of respondents favor Labour in this regard, while 25% lean towards the Conservatives.
Despite the Conservative Party currently holding 96 out of the 100 most rural seats in Parliament, the polling suggests that they are at risk of losing more than half of these seats to Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
NFU President Calls For Action And Clarity In Agriculture Policy
Minette Batters, presiding over her final NFU conference as president, emphasized that the agricultural vote remains undecided. She urged for solutions to the labor issues stemming from Brexit.
She asked a series of questions that strike at the core of the issues the farmers want addressed.
“Which party will introduce a minimum five years seasonal workers scheme and recognize that we need more people if we’re to continue providing the raw ingredients for the country’s largest manufacturing sector? Which party will formally commit to sourcing more food from British farms? For our schools, hospitals, our military?”
Minette Batters
Additionally, she called for imported animal welfare standards to align with the regulations mandated in the UK. Batters referenced ongoing protests in Wales, where farmers are using their tractors to block roads in objection to proposed mandates requiring them to allocate 10% of their land for tree planting.
Batters said, “I have watched and listened as the Welsh government try and deny our members and their children the farming futures they had planned.”
She criticized the trend for rewilding farms.
“Some celebrities are buying land and taking it out of production to greenwash other parts of their lifestyle. We must see changes this year to redress the imbalance between environment and food production in government policy before many more farms just simply disappear.”
Minette Batters
She added that the idea of lab-grown meat was an “ill-informed utopia”.
Sunak, in his closing remark, emphasized that farming held a unique place in the nation, and he acknowledged that farmers’ motivations extended beyond monetary gains.
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