South Downs MP celebrates new measures to protect British farmers

Speaking yesterday at the Oxford Farming Conference, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP, said that the new measures will “prioritise the food and farming sector, to make sure farming thrives for generations to come”.

The headline measure in the Government’s announcement was an introduction of new Union Flag labels on all food products to identify whether they were made in the UK, and a consultation with the farming community on more labels to give consumers the choice of shopping British, aimed at preventing cheaper foreign imports undercutting British farmers.

The Government also announced that average subsidies will increase by 10%, making it more attractive for farmers to grow their businesses. Paperwork and online forms will also be streamlined, combining various application streams for funding into one online portal. Additional funding has been made available for the development of agritech on farms to improve efficiency.

More than three quarters of Andrew Griffith MP’s constituency of Arundel & South Downs is farming land, and the local MP has been vocal in his support for farmers, including hosting a debate in Parliament on the importance of farming in the South Downs. He has also held a number of farmers roundtables and recently hosted a ‘Farm to Fork’ Summit with the Government’s farming minister and local farmers.

Commenting on the measures, Andrew Griffith MP said: “Protecting British farmers is absolutely crucial. They put food on our tables, conserve our environment and protect our countryside.

With hundreds of farmers across our constituency, I have been unashamedly supportive of farming and I know that these measures to protect Sussex farmers from cheap foreign imports will be welcomed by the many in the farming community.

Whilst the Government is taking this transformative approach to farming, we should all call on our local councils to support farmers too – as often they play a big part in working with the industry.”