The Government must step in to help our farmers

FARMING is at the heart of Yorkshire’s life and economy. Our region’s agricultural sector is not only immensely valuable in monetary terms, but essential to environmental protection.

Farmers enjoy the respect and gratitude of our county’s people for the vital contributions they make at so many levels. That regard is richly deserved. We have them to thank for the food on our plates and the care of the countryside loved by so many.

The importance of farming cannot be overstated, and so it is disturbing that today the industry paints a bleak picture of its future. The National Farmers Union survey of its members finds collapsing confidence, the prospect of reduced production, farms going bust and disquiet over the transition to a new system of subsidies.

This all adds up to very bad news not only for agriculture, but for Britain’s welfare, posing threats to the nation’s food security and leaving us too reliant on imports from volatile world markets.

Months of relentlessly wet weather have placed many farmers under pressure, but of equal concern are high prices for essentials such as fuel and fertiliser and what they are being paid for their produce. Worryingly, the number of farmers whose profits are declining or at risk of going out of business has increased substantially, from 50 per cent last year to 65 per cent now.

This cannot be allowed to happen. The Government may not be able to control the weather, but it can and must influence economic factors which are making life needlessly hard for farmers.

The NFU has set out a series of practical measures to help agriculture including fair supply chains and workable subsidies that safeguard domestic food production. The parties soon vying to form the next Government must heed these demands and make farming a top priority.