Taking place only a few hours before the end of the parliamentary session, the debate provided an opportunity for MPs to make sure the concerns of their farming constituents were raised with the Minister before the break.
In addition to engaging with MPs locally, the NFU briefed MPs ahead of the debate to ensure key issues were raised with the Minister.
NFU members were first on the agenda. Richard Foord MP (Liberal Democrat, Honiton and Sidmouth) brought the debate and began his speech by mentioning a recent meeting with his local NFU branch in Devon.
Food security was a key topic throughout the debate. Richard Foord reminded the chamber that “food security is fundamental to our national resilience” and highlighted the importance of domestic food production in the context of current global instability.
Profits are struggling
The continued conflict in the Middle East gave the discussion a particular urgency, with several MPs describing the volatile markets and increased prices of crucial farming inputs such as fertiliser and red diesel. Wendy Chamberlain MP (Liberal Democrat, North East Fife) told the chamber: “We are in a cost-of-living crisis, but also a cost of producing food crisis.”
MPs emphasised the need for a profitable farming sector. Sarah Gibson MP (Liberal Democrat, Chippenham) highlighted the underspend in the farming budget and the struggle for many farm businesses to turn a profit. In addition, Richard Foord asked the Minister for an update on their implementation of the recommendations in Baroness Batters’s farm profitability review.
SFI clarity
Caroline Voaden MP (Liberal Democrat, South Devon) called on the Minister to provide “greater clarity” on “the future offer across environmental schemes” and highlighted the particular need for clarity on the budget for the renewed SFI.
Tim Farron MP (Liberal Democrat, Westmoreland and Lonsdale) raised concerns about the exclusion from ELMs of those who farm on common land due to the limitations of RPA computer software. He backed NFU calls for a swift resolution of the problem.
Crime costs, planning issues and mental health
Adam Dance MP (Liberal Democrat, Yeovil) highlighted the “huge sums” that rural crime and particularly equipment theft is costing farmers and called on the government to go further in its efforts to tackle the problem.
Danny Chambers MP (Liberal Democrat, Winchester) raised the challenges of the planning system and the burden it places on farm businesses wishing to expand or improve their infrastructure. Richard Foord described a constituent who had applied for a cover for a slurry store but is still waiting for a verdict eight months later.
Peter Prinsley (Labour, Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket) told the Minister “we must do everything we can to support the mental health of our farmers”.
‘Farming matters to every constituency’
The Minister thanked all the MPs for their contributions and told the chamber, “farming matters to every constituency because it not only supports rural jobs and communities but produces the food we rely on”. She highlighted her own engagement with the farming community, including her own recent meeting with NFU President Tom Bradshaw.
