Farming boss urges election candidates to back British farming
30th April 2025
Candidates standing in this week’s local elections have been urged by the NFU to back British farming over the issues it has been facing in recent months.
Voters go to the polls tomorrow, 1st May with more than 1,600 seats up for grabs at 23 county councils across England.
Mayors will also be elected in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Doncaster, North Tyneside, the West of England, Hull and East Yorkshire and Greater Lincolnshire.
NFU president Tom Bradshaw said that those elections are a “timely opportunity” to shine a light on some of the huge challenges facing farmers, such as the family farm tax, and that the continued support from local authorities, councillors and regional mayors is very important.
He added: “Over the past 18 months, the industry has taken a battering, and the confidence of farmers is rock bottom. Volatile input costs, extreme weather and flooding, increasing rates of rural crime, issues with planning red tape and the recent closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) have all taken their toll.
“The government’s announcement during last October’s Budget on changes to inheritance tax was also a devastating blow, with many farming businesses set to face unaffordable bills, meaning an end to possible investment or growth opportunities, as well as huge pressures on mental health.”
Vital role of British farmers
Mr Bradshaw said that it has been heartening to see so many county councils stand up for hard-working local farmers and pass motions to back the NFU’s Stop the Family Farm Tax campaign and call on the government to reverse its decision on this pernicious policy.
“Councils from Northumberland to Norfolk have sent strong messages about the vital role farmers play in rural communities up and down the country.
“Farm businesses are the bedrock of the UK’s food and drink sector, the country’s biggest manufacturing sector, contributing £148 billion to the national economy and supporting more than 4 million jobs.
“That’s why we have outlined in the NFU Blueprints the need to invest in our farmers and homegrown food production at both a local and national level to secure UK food security in the future. One of the critical areas is an enabling planning framework that unlocks investment. This will deliver jobs and kickstart rural economic growth by breaking down barriers to opportunity for rural communities,” the NFU president continued.
Mr Brashaw added that the support of local councils and regional mayors for the farming industry is vital not just on the family farm tax but also on issues that impact the union’s members, such as planning and the procurement of more British food.
“We look forward to working with those newly elected representatives, alongside constituency MPs, to help lay the foundations for a sustainable and profitable future,” he concluded.
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