Rural vote Tory, but Labour still ahead nationally
Rural vote Tory, but Labour still ahead nationally
By Isabel Davies
THE Tories appear to be winning the battle for the rural vote, but national opinion polls continue to suggest a big victory for Labour in next weeks general election.
The Conservatives are well ahead in a straw poll running on FWi, the farmers weekly web-site, which leaves Labour trailing in third place. The picture is repeated among FW Farmer Focus writers who have declared their voting intentions after three weeks of listening to the different parties (see over).
But it looks like producers will have to deal with a Labour government for another five years. An ICM poll in The Guardian on Wednesday (May 30) puts Labour on 47% (up two points) the Tories on 28% (down 4 points) and the Liberal Democrats on 17% (no change).
With just over a week to go before polling, the Tories have stepped up efforts to convince farmers they are the party of the countryside. Speaking last Bank Holiday weekend, Tory leader William Hague promised wide-ranging measures to help rural communities hit by foot-and-mouth.
He pledged extra compensation to farmers to help with irrecoverable losses. "We will compensate these farmers who otherwise face the real prospect of going out of business. The cost would be high. But this is a national crisis and one-off use of the reserve in these circumstances would be wholly legitimate."
While the Tories were making promises, farm minister, Nick Brown, was forced into talks with farmers in North Yorks in the grip of another foot-and-mouth epidemic.
Mr Brown denied accusations that MAFF was suppressing information about the number of outbreaks on the run up to the election. "I absolutely refute the suggestion that civil servants are somehow fiddling the figures," he told the BBC. "In my time as minister I have only given one instruction to civil servants about the statistics we are collecting, and that was to get them into the public domain."
Meanwhile, other political parties have revealed their election pledges for agriculture (see top left). The UK Independence Party, which claims to be the UKs fourth largest party, is contesting 430 seats. It has strong support in the West Country and hopes to win at least two seats.
The Green Party believes Britains farming future is bleak if any of the three main parties win. It has pledged to reform subsidies to support smaller farms. The Greens want to promote local food production for local need and will encourage cooperative selling by farmers direct to the public.
The Countryside Party is fielding just one candidate. Jim Crawford will contest the Ross, Skye and Inverness West seat held by Lib-Dem leader, Charles Kennedy. He believes farmers should be encouraged to grow quality food rather than pump out quantity. *
Signs of the times… Unlike F&M, the election looks an open-and-shut case.