Labour pledges to deliver a “new deal for farmers” to boost Britain’s food security and rural growth
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Labour’s Shadow Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner will today
(Wednesday) announce Labour’s plans to back British farming.
Speaking at the National Farming Union Conference, he will say that
“Labour will govern for every corner of our country, with a new
relationship with the countryside and farming communities” and
“resolutely back British farmers reducing our reliance on insecure
imports, supporting high quality, local produce for consumers, and
ending the shameful...Request free
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Labour’s Shadow Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner will today (Wednesday) announce Labour’s plans to back British farming. Speaking at the National Farming Union Conference, he will say that “Labour will govern for every corner of our country, with a new relationship with the countryside and farming communities” and “resolutely back British farmers reducing our reliance on insecure imports, supporting high quality, local produce for consumers, and ending the shameful new reality of those empty supermarket shelves.” Speaking about food trade policy, Zeichner will say that Labour will: “Lower the red tape farmers face at our borders, for both imports and exports. “Ministers have left farmers too vulnerable to low-quality imports that undercut our people. You made this point very forcibly with that massive petition a few years ago. We supported you. But I’m afraid we weren’t listened to. “The Government’s own assessments have indicated that the New Zealand trade deal would result in an economic contraction of £48 million for agriculture and fisheries. “And Jacob Rees Mogg’s comments welcoming hormone-injected beef and chlorine-washed chicken were rightly called out by Minette, but they represent a strand of thinking that runs deep through parts of the Conservative Party, parts that were in government all too recently, and could be again. “And how can it make sense, when we know that contaminated meat is coming through Dover, to move the checks 21 miles inland? It is naive beyond belief - and very risky. We need to do much better. “That is why Labour will seek a veterinary agreement with the European Union that will get British food exports moving again, and ensure standards are safeguarded.” Speaking about the Environment Land Management Scheme, Zeichner will pledge that: “Labour is committed to making the Environmental Land Management Scheme work. No longer driven by short term lurches, that downgrade food production then suddenly backtrack. “At the moment, frankly, the government is, perhaps inadvertently, in danger of prioritising flowers over flour. We need both - and we need farm businesses to survive and prosper. “So, we will make ELMs work. No longer a scheme that under spends hundreds of millions of pounds leaving farmers out of pocket. No longer failing to publish the outcomes of these schemes. “But a real long-term plan with consistency at its heart that ensures the correct balance between food production and nature recovery. That is why Labour is committed to going further by introducing a land-use framework to meet the multiple demands made on our land. To deliver stability that optimises the delivery of social, economic and environmental objectives.” Labour’s New Deal for farmers includes:
Recent Labour analysis found that under the Conservatives over 6,300 agricultural related businesses in the UK have been terminated since 2017, according to new analysis by the party. This includes nearly 5,000 meat, fruit, vegetable, and dairy producers. The fall in agriculture businesses has meant that the number of people employed in agriculture has collapsed by a third over the same time period. The analysis is a reminder of the impact of 13 years of Conservative rule that have left farmers stranded. Since 2019, farmers have faced more red tape and higher costs at our borders, blocking the export of high-quality British produce. The failure to invest in home-grown energy has left farmers crippled by skyrocketing energy prices, with the price of animal feed and fertiliser jumping by as much as 133% over the last year. Ends Notes
Q1 2017 – 381,000 Q2 2022 – 268,000
Manufacture of food products (inc meat, fruit, diary, vegetables): 4,875 Wholesale trade of agriculture raw materials and live animals: 1,060 Manufacture of agricultural and forestry machinery: 345 Manufacture of pesticides and other agrochemical products: 45
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