Support our Nation today - please donate here
News

Labour makes 50% home produced food pledge to woo farmers

01 Jan 2024 3 minute read
Farmer

Labour has pledged to ensure British produce makes up at least half of food in schools, hospitals and prisons as it set out its “new deal” for UK farmers.

The party said it would use government buying power to back agricultural businesses as it seeks to woo rural voters before a general election next year.

A quota-driven approach across parts of the public sector at home would run alongside Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to pursue a new veterinary agreement with the European Union, which Labour hopes would boost exports.

Flood risk

A Cobra-style “flood resilience taskforce” would also be created to reduce the flood risk to UK farms by delivering drainage systems, flood defences and natural flood management schemes, the party said.

The package of measures comes as Labour claimed the Tories are presiding over “destruction” of agricultural-related businesses, with party analysis of Office for National Statistics data suggesting more than 6,300 have been terminated since 2017.

The party hopes its plan for GB Energy, a new publicly owned company to invest in clean, homegrown power and make Britain energy secure, will deliver cheaper bills for farmers.

It has promised to “rewire Britain” in a way that allows farmers to “rapidly plug their renewable energy into the grid”.

‘Wrecked’

Shadow environment secretary Steve Reed said: “This Conservative Government has wrecked our farmers. It is time we turned the page and embraced a decade of national renewal with the countryside at its heart.

“Labour will give British farmers their future back. We will deliver lower energy bills for farmers by switching on GB Energy, lower red tape at our borders to get our great food exports flowing again and use the government’s own purchasing power to back British produce.”

Food minister Mark Spencer said Labour has failed to support farmers in the past and would continue to do so.

“Labour are incapable of supporting British farming – in government they failed to provide the connectivity, jobs and investment rural communities needed, and years later they still have no plan to support the countryside,” he said.

“Meanwhile, the Conservatives have delivered better targeted funding for farmers, protecting our best farmland and speeding up our grid connections for those who need it most.

“Aside from this copy-and-paste pledge to farmers, the only plan Labour have is a £28 billion a year spending splurge – unfunded spending that would mean higher taxes.”


Support our Nation today

For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
hdavies15
hdavies15
10 months ago

Very nice, but so much better if Labour and other parties make it their policy to have a higher proportion of everybody’s diet home grown.

Our Supporters

All information provided to Nation.Cymru will be handled sensitively and within the boundaries of the Data Protection Act 2018.