Charlie Beaty: New Tory leader must clarify farming policy

In Truss, we trust? Yeah, I’m not so sure about that.

After being warned of the effect that a free-trade deal with Australia would have on the UK’s food and farming sector, risking millions of pounds and thousands of jobs, the foreign secretary still went ahead and sealed the deal.

So, looks like it’s in “Dishy Rishi” we trust?

See also: Charlie Beaty – government needs to get some mud on its boots

About the author

Charlie Beaty

Harper Adams University graduate Charlie has a keen interest in the livestock sector, being heavily involved in the beef and sheep enterprises at home, as well as the arable and contracting side of things. The 25-year-old is an active member of Warwickshire YFC and loves travelling the world.

Read more articles by Charlie Beaty

Alas, “the best of a bad bunch”, many have said. When the two would-be leaders of the Conservative Party resorted to mocking one another’s attire, it made me wonder about the calibre of the others.

I feel that both Truss and Sunak are playing a short-sighted game right now. One of them will win the leadership battle, but the damage done by their bickering could be irreversible.

Although a general election isn’t due for another two years, it’s seeming more likely one could be triggered by a motion of no-confidence.

But, heck, there’s already enough to worry about in farming, so there’s little point in worrying too much about the things that are out of our control. 

More pressingly, we still have very little to go on in terms of what the future production and environmental subsidies will look like.

Notice I don’t say “farming subsidies” because it’s food prices that are subsidised.

Food in the UK is among the cheapest in Europe, with 2018 food prices 8% lower than the EU average.

While this figure is now technically four years out of date – and I’m unlikely to find more recent EU data that includes the UK, funnily enough – and events such as Brexit and weather patterns have caused significant increases, food is still comparatively cheap here. 

How long is that going to last? The cost of living is rising. Meanwhile the Basic Payment Scheme is being phased out and replaced – but exactly how, and how much new money will be available, nobody seems sure.

Popping onto the Defra website this morning, there is a whole list of things the government is going to provide funding for. Soil health, tree health, understanding moorlands, flood risk, water pollution… the list goes on.

But there is very little information on how to access this funding and how much money there will actually be.