Steve Barclay slams Labour for their 'dangerous disregard' of farmers
Shadow Environment Secretary Steve Barclay takes aim at Labour over its food and farming policies.
Food security isn’t just a buzzword – it’s crucial to our national safety.
Our farmers are the backbone of Britain, the shield that protects us from global uncertainties. Supporting British farmers isn’t just a policy; it’s a necessity.
But the new Labour government has already revealed a dangerous disregard for the people who put food on our tables.
Within weeks of getting into government, insiders have let slip Labour are already planning to cut the farming budget by £100 million – undermining almost 240,000 hectares of nature-friendly farmland and putting both our food supply and the environment at risk.
Then there’s Labour’s approach to farmland.
Their push for big renewable projects like solar farming will put our best agricultural land at risk.
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But Ed Miliband is ploughing ahead with his green policies without even knowing how much prime land will be lost.
And Labour’s refusal to set a legally binding food security target shows they’re not serious about our future and they don’t understand why this is so important to farmers. It's no surprise Jeremy Clarkson has already banned Keir Starmer from his new pub.
In stark contrast, the Conservative Party have always backed Britain’s farmers. In Government, we maintained a farming budget of £2.4 billion a year, bumped payments by 10 per cent and rolled out £427 million in grants to boost productivity and innovation, making sure our farmers are fighting fit for the future.
Just as it is important to embrace green technology like solar farms for our energy security, protecting our food security is just as vital.
That means protecting the best farming land should always come first.
Labour should make sure that solar projects avoid high-quality farmland, directing them to brownfield sites and lower-quality land instead.
We will continue to hold their feet to the fire when it comes to food security targets.
They need to set out a clear plan to maintain and increase the amount of food grown at home.
Only the Conservatives stand behind Britain’s farmers.
We’re committed to securing our food supply, preserving our countryside, and protecting our rural heritage. Let’s stand up for those who feed the nation.
