Farmers 'cautiously hopeful' for new government

Farmers at the Great Yorkshire Show are generally optimistic about the new Labour government

Farmers visiting the Great Yorkshire Show said they felt optimistic about the new government after enduring challenging times.

Facing "through the roof" inflation, poor weather and changes in government policy, farmers said they "desperately needed confidence" in leadership.

Newly appointed Environment Secretary Steve Reed said farming was an "absolute priority" for the government.

He added that "food security is national security", which was a sentiment echoed by farmers.

The event in Harrogate, which runs from Tuesday to Friday, has brought together people from across the agriculture industry.

Members of the National Farmers' Union spoke to the BBC about what sort of changes they wanted to see in farming moving forward.

Beef farmer Andrew Loftus wants the new government to strike a balance between protecting the environment and boosting food production

'Cautiously hopeful'

Andrew Loftus, a beef farmer from Masham in North Yorkshire, said he was "cautiously hopeful" about the new Labour government.

"If they can support small farming businesses, have fairness in the supply chain, have a good balance between production and the environment, then yes, let's be optimistic," he said.

Mr Loftus said although he did not expect policy details immediately, he would gain confidence from knowing the government's direction of travel.

He added that the farming industry was doing "great things" in the environment and "too little" of it counted towards its carbon footprint.

"Beef, for example, is criticised for having a high carbon footprint," Mr Loftus said.

"But when you look at the sequestration occurring on our farms, that needs to be netted off and understood because it's a complicated picture and we're only getting one side of it at the moment."

Farmer Rachel Hallos hoped that stability in the industry would encourage farmers to invest in their businesses

'Quite excited'

A West Yorkshire beef and sheep uplands farmer said she saw the change in leadership as a "blank sheet of paper".

Rachel Hallos, from Ripponden, told the BBC: "I think farmers are being dragged in all different directions for quite a length of time now, for all different sorts of reasons.

"I actually think I'm quite excited about what the future could hold, if I'm very honest."

Ms Hallos said government policy and weather had resulted in a "rough ride" for farmers.

"I think for any business to invest in themselves and grow, which is what we need to do as an industry, we need that confidence," she said.

Ms Hallos hoped that "some stability" would encourage farmers to deliver more.

Angela Kirkwood said inflation and volatility were some of the challenges facing farmers

'So much volatility'

Angela Kirkwood had a farm near Hull, where she worked as a pig and arable farmer, as well as running a small farm shop.

She told the BBC a lot of new MPs would be from urban areas but hoped they would embrace the opportunity to engage with the countryside and use it to grow the economy.

"We’ve had so many people that can’t get any crops planted and it’s been tough," Ms Kirkwood said.

"Farm inflation is still through the roof. You have machinery costs, labour costs, there’s so many variables and so much volatility."

She added the farm industry wanted to achieve the ambition that "food security is national security".

Newly appointed Environment Secretary Steve Reed said farming was a priority for Labour

'Absolute priority'

New Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Reed attended the Great Yorkshire Show just a few days into his role.

He told the BBC his government was going to offer farmers a "new deal", after they expressed feeling abandoned.

"We’re looking at how we can cut the single biggest cost that has gone up, helping to put so many farmers sadly out of business, which is energy," Mr Reed said.

He outlined plans to set up GB Energy to cut bills for farmers and to renegotiate a deal with the EU, to "get British exports moving across the border again".

Mr Reed also explained Labour's pledge to have 50% of government-procured food to be produced in Britain.

“The government itself buys an awful lot of food and it doesn’t buy enough of it British," he said.

The plans include the food purchased to be served in hospitals and on Army bases.

"That’s money directly into the pockets of farmers, so they can invest more and market their Great British produce," Mr Reed added.

"Farming is an absolute priority - food security is national security."

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