Farming: Financial Sustainability Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Sarah Bool
Main Page: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)Department Debates - View all Sarah Bool's debates with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Farming: Financial Sustainability
Sarah Bool Excerpts(1 month, 2 weeks ago)
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Sarah Bool (South Northamptonshire) (Con)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Turner.
The farming sector is vital. I know that because 88% of my constituency is agricultural land. Farms are a unique sort of business because they not only have to make our food and protect our countryside but, like all businesses, have to make a profit. We must respect and understand that. I appreciate that the Government have published their farming road map, and I am grateful that they have finally recognised that farming needs long-term planning but, ultimately, actions speak louder than words.
The NFU has highlighted many issues that we need to focus on but, given the limited time available, I am going to focus purely on energy. The Food and Drink Federation told the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee that food inflation will reach 9% by the end of this year and that energy prices are at the heart of that inflation. The Government have put in place help for energy-intensive industries, but subsections of farming are not recognised under that scheme and are therefore excluded. I raised that point with the Chancellor. I urge the Minister to go back to her and consider whether the Government can include farming and food producers in those schemes to allow them to get support. While he is doing so, perhaps he will ask again if she will scrap the family farm tax in order to give farmers the support they ultimately need.