Vegan shadow Defra secretary leaves farm sector in shock

The appointment of a vegan as shadow Defra minister has been met by anger and shock within many parts of the rural community.

Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy was appointed to the role by newly elected Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Monday (14 September).

But within the farming community the news was met by immediate alarm, given she has been quoted as saying that the meat, dairy and egg industries “cause immense suffering to more than a billion animals every year in the UK alone, most of whom spend their entire lives crammed inside dark, filthy sheds.”

See also: Shadow Defra secretary revealed as anti-meat campaigner

NFU president Meurig Raymond said he was looking forward to working with Ms McCarthy MP in her new role.

But he made a point of stressing that the NFU would continue to lobby on key issues in the sector including the implementation of the 25-year TB eradication plan.

He added: “The food and farming industry employs more than 3.8 million people and agriculture contributed nearly £10bn to the economy between 2008 and 2014. These are just two statistics which highlight the importance of backing British farming.”

Countryside Alliance chief executive Tim Bonner suggested there was a disconnect between the views of Ms McCarthy and many of the people she would have to work with.

“We look forward to hearing how Ms McCarthy, who is patron of the Vegan Society – which believes “animal farming is no longer sustainable and severely damaging to the environment” and is “against all shooting sports” – intends to re-engage the Labour party with the rural community.”

Ukip’s agriculture spokesman Stuart Agnew, who is also a farmer, added: “Kerry McCarthy will have little in common with either the producers or consumers of food and would be better described as the Corbynist who would like Defra to be renamed the Department for Eradication of Farmers and Rural Areas.”

Farmers and rural people posting on social media made the following comments:

But writing on Twitter, Ms McCarthy said she was very excited to be taking up the new role and was looking forward to promoting sustainable farming.

Responding to a question about whether farmers would feel a vegan shadow minister was on their side or supports them, she replied: “Well, you could ask the environmentalists and animal welfare campaigners how they felt about having Owen Paterson in charge?”

She told another correspondent it was “also important that environmentalists and animal welfare campaigners are enthusiastic about my appointment”.