Farming Matters

IN a recent Commons debate in which MPs could raise any issue they wished I spoke up for farming. There are few activities in my constituency more important than agriculture. It provides jobs on the land, in the processing businesses, in distribution companies and of course most importantly it is our farmers who maintain the beauty of our countryside — something that underpins our vital tourism industry.

But the need to support farming has another critical dimension — food security. The world's population will rise from 6.8 billion now to 9.2 billion by 2050. By 2030 the population of India will surpass China and Africa's population will have doubled. In the 1950s there were 0.52 hectares of cultivatable land per person, this now stands at half that and by 2050 it will have fallen to a third. Global warming may bring rising seas and expanding deserts. In addition, as poorer nations become richer they will continue to switch from arable to meat-based diets that require more land to produce. 20 years ago the UK was 80% self sufficient in food production — that figure is now 60%.

These are compelling reasons why we must support our local farmers. In the debate I called on the government to press ahead with badger control licences to address Bovine TB. I urged prompt action on bringing in a Groceries Code Adjudicator to resist the power of the supermarkets to control milk prices. I stressed the importance of providing continued support to our hill farmers through Higher Level Stewardship schemes and I specifically asked that government Ministers report back to me on possible EU Article 68 funding whereby monies can be directed at this hard-pressed farming sector.

Some of the greatest challenges of this century will involve food and agriculture. We must support our farmers.