During a campaign visit to the Chuggs' family sheep farm near Barnstaple, traditionally a Conservative heartland which is under threat, the Prime Minister stood firm, outlining his party's plan to ‘back British farmers', amid a surge in support in the polls for the Reform UK party, and warnings his party could face the worst general election result ever.
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Speaking to Íæż½ã½ã, when asked if he was concerned by the momentum building by Reform UK in rural areas, he said ‘a vote for anyone that is a not a conservative candidate, is just a vote to make it more likely that Keir Starmer is in number 10'.
Farming policy
In his attempt to sway those in the room, Mr Sunak claimed a future Labour Government would scrap agricultural property relief, which currently protects farmers from paying inheritance tax.
The Prime Minister was also asked by sheep farmer Bryan Griffiths if future farming policy would consult farmers, highlighting worries farming policy was being overhauled by individual lobbying groups.
Mr Sunak said farming policy had got ‘hijacked' in the past, adding ‘we cannot lose sight of the fact that food production is the most important thing', adding Labour in Wales was imposing top-down targets on farming ‘driving them [farmers] off their land.'
David Cameron
Mr Sunak was also accompanied on-farm by his Foreign Secretary and former Prime Minister, David Cameron, who criticized Labour's '87 words on farming.'
The PM told Íæż½ã½ã the extra £1bn farming budget over Parliament would be ‘focused on food production'.
Mr Sunak said: "The Labour party cannot even tell you if they will protect the farming budget, forget about increasing."
Comments from farmers
Adam Westaway, an organic dairy farmer from Devon, said he was pleased to hear the Prime Minister's pledge to ringfence the extra £1bn for food production, but said the Government's current underspend of £400 million concerned him.
"My challenge would be, we have seen an underspend on the agricultural budget, we need to make sure that its available to producers and farmers so it is easy to access."
When it comes to bovine TB (bTB) policy, mixed farmer Paul Tucker, said: "If they can get a vaccine together, we will use it, but they need it to come forward."
Upland beef and sheep farmer Robin May said: "It is a matter of being allowed to cull out the bTB pockets, where a bTB cluster erupts and one needs to go cull out the badgers in that area."
