Battle for hearts and minds of farmers in election hots up

The battle for the farming and rural vote is intensifying with less than a fortnight to go until the general election on 4 July.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives were out campaigning in north Devon this week, where he and David Cameron struggled to feed a reluctant flock of sheep.

Mr Sunak fielded questions from farmers and told them he really appreciated their hard work to produce the nation’s food and look after the countryside.

“I will always have your back,” the prime minister said.

Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats said Mr Sunak’s “Devon dash” was “too little, too late” to secure the farming vote.

Speaking to Farmers Weekly, however, Mr Sunak insisted the Conservatives are the only party in this election that are truly backing British farmers.

“You can see that in our commitment to invest an extra £1bn in the farming budget in the next parliament, dedicated to food production, alongside a new statutory target for food security,” said Mr Sunak.

“In contrast, the Labour Party cannot increase the farming budget; they are not even going to confirm they are going to cut it or protect it.

“There’s no food security target and you just have to look at what they’re doing in Wales, imposing top-down targets on farmers, decimating livelihoods and our food security.

“That demonstrates they are just not in touch with the needs of our rural and farming communities.”

Mr Sunak said bovine TB continues to have a “devastating impact” on small family farms and businesses across the country.

However, he said the latest evidence from Defra shows TB herd breakdowns in cattle are down by 56% on average after four years of culling in England, providing a “glimmer of hope to thousands of hardworking farmers who have invested their effort and money to make these culls a success”.

Mr Sunak added: “Evidence supports culling and we’re going to continue to take that course.”

‘Too little, too late’ 

However, with the Conservatives trailing Labour in the opinion polls by an average of 20 points, a Labour spokesperson said Mr Sunak’s visit to Devon to try to win back core voters was “complete desperation”.

Shadow Defra secretary Steve Reed said the Conservative government had “let farmers down” and “undercut them in trade deals”.

He added: “The NFU has said confidence among farmers is at its lowest level on record.

“Now that Rishi Sunak has realised he might lose the farming vote, his trip to Devon is merely a desperate attempt to try and win back their support.”

Lib Dems’ rural affairs spokesperson Tim Farron accused the PM of doing “too little, too late” for farmers.

He said: “This Devon dash is too little too late for Rishi Sunak. Farmers and rural voters are deserting him in massive numbers.

“Farmers have been utterly taken for granted by the Conservative Party, left to cope with sky-high bills, bungled policies and botched overseas trade deals.

“It’s clear that people are moving away from the Conservatives and backing Liberal Democrats in many seats to kick them out of office.”

Reform UK pledges

Earlier this week, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage launched his party’s manifesto in Merthyr Tydfil.

The so-called “Contract with you” promises to increase the farm budget to £3bn within 100 days, up from the current £2.4bn in England.

Reform would scrap climate-related subsidies and pay farmers direct payments and introduce a 70% food self-sufficiency target.