From studying at Newton Rigg to serving as MP for Workington, I have always been dedicated to keeping local food and farming at the top of my agenda.
I’m Cumbrian – farming is at the heart of who we are. From the fells to the fields, Cumbria wouldn’t be the beautiful county it is without your hard work. My first promotion after I was elected as an MP was Parliamentary Private Secretary in DEFRA. And until my most recent promotion. I was Vice-Chairman and former Chairman of the Conservative backbench Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, and a Vice-Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Upland Farming.
With the end of the Basic Payment Scheme and the rollout of the new Environmental Land Management Schemes, it is essential that policy makers and officials never lose sight of priorities. For example, environmental protection must not come at the expense of food production. In the wake of the pandemic, we have all seen how fragile global supply chains can be, and, as a result, we must remain focused on improving the UK’s food security while continuing to benefit and support our farmers; you.
DEFRA’s available funding schemes are listed online at www.gov.uk/guidance/funding-for-farmers, which sets out the funding and support that may be available to help you farm across your land, from ELMS and one-off grants. ELMS are based around the principle of ‘public money for public good.’ In my opinion, food production is the most important ‘public good’.
Supporting you to produce high quality food and helping you to receive a better at-gate price, is a top priority of mine. It is one of the reasons I have supported both local and national initiatives, such as the campaign for new Buy British Button for online supermarkets launched by my colleague Dr Luke Evans – and now adopted by a growing number of UK supermarkets.
I regularly hold meetings with members of the NFU in both Westminster and North Cumbria. I’ve hosted round tables with farmers and the RPA, Red Tractor, and with local farming cooperatives. I understand that no two farms are the same; I see this when visiting farmers to learn more about the challenges they face.
I am keen to support you in any way I can: I am here to help. So whether it is problems with payments, licensing, inspections, or one-off grants - I hope you will let me know if I can. We are world leaders in quality food production. I will continue to stand up for farmers and protect the important work you do.