Food security is national security and this Government's
commitment to farmers remains steadfast.
Our Labour Government has committed £5 billion in the
agricultural budget over the next two years.
As part of that, we've allocated the biggest ever budget for
sustainable food production and nature's recovery in our
country's history.
I am rapidly releasing £60 million to support farmers who have
had their farms devastated by severe flooding.
That is how we boost our food security and speed up nature's
recovery.
The Conservatives left this country in a mess, with a £22 billion
blackhole in our nation's finance. Fixing that means we must face
some difficult choices, but we will do it fairly.
I am not prepared to let our public services continue to crumble
while the wealthy buy up huge estates robbing young farmers of
their dreams, just to avoid paying their taxes.
This is scandal.
I completely understand farmers' anxiety at any changes. But
rural communities need a better NHS, affordable housing and
public transport we can provide if we make the system
fairer.
That is why the Labour Government has announced plans to reform
Agricultural Property Relief.
Only the richest estates will be asked to pay – not small, family
farms as some misleading headlines have claimed.
Look at the detail and you'll see that the vast majority of
farmers will not be affected at all. They will be able to
pass the family farm down to their children just as previous
generations have always done.
This is a fair and balanced approach that protects family farms
while also fixing the public services those same families rely
on.
True to form, the Conservatives are backing wealthy tax avoiders
instead of supporting plans to fix the economy that will benefit
everyone, including our farmers.
Under the Conservatives, 12,000 farmers and agricultural firms
were forced out of business, and every farmer was sold out and
undercut by unfair Tory trade deals with New Zealand and
Australia. They couldn't even spend their own budget, failing to
back British farmers with £300 million that was owed to
them.
Our Labour Government will never forget that farmers are the
beating heart of our great country. It is their hard work that
puts food on our tables and stewards our beautiful countryside.
That is why we will deliver a new deal for British farmers,
championing their interests. We will always protect farmers in
trade deals, use the government's purchasing power to back
British produce and make the supply chain fairer so food
producers get the fair deal the Conservatives denied them.
And we will guarantee the future of traditional family farms as
they pass from generation to generation.
