Justin Tomlinson MP has met with local farmers in his constituency to discuss a number of issues.
Justin met with local farmers at Northleaze Farm, hosted by dairy farmer Robert Mallet, as well as representatives from the National Farmers Union. The NFU represents 47,000 farmers across England and Wales – 800 of which are in Wiltshire.
Discussion included a general farming update covering arable, dairy and beef & sheep. Issues included the price of milks and ensuring farmers get their fair share, as well as misleading food labelling in supermarkets, an issue that Justin has campaign on before.
Agriculture is huge in Wiltshire with local farmers managing a world heritage site, 2 areas of outstanding natural beauty, 7 nature reserves and more than 250 sites of specific scientific interest. Overall the industry in Wiltshire produces:
- 65,000 or 16.6% of the regions pig population
- 26% of the total South West regions cereal production
- 2% of South West chickens – that’s more than 3.1 million
- 6% of the regions sheep – over 160,000 sheep
- 8% of the regions cattle – over 158,000 cows
In addition:
- 10% of the South West regions farming workforce is employed in Wiltshire
- Almost 80% of the Wiltshire land area is farmed by nearly 1,300 farmers
- Wiltshire is the largest producer of wheat, barley, oil seed rape, oats, peas and beans in the South West
Agriculture is a vital industry across the United Kingdom:
- The UK food and farming sector is worth £97.1bn to the UK economy
- The farming and food sectors provide 3.5 million jobs
- UK food & non-alcoholic drink related exports grew by 5% to £12.8bn in 2013
- The UK is the 4th largest producer of beef in Europe
- The UK is the largest producer of sheep meat in the UK, producing around 300,000 tonnes each year
- The UK is the 3rd largest wheat producer in the UK
- British farming has cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 20% since 1990
- Farmers voluntarily manage 677,000 hectares of farmland for wildlife
- The UK produces more than 13bn litres of milk each year – the 3rd largest in Europe
There was also talk on future farming policy post-Brexit and it was agreed that this new climate now presents a unique opportunity for the UK to create a competitive and effective farming environment which ensures a fair deal for British farmers.
Justin Tomlinson MP said: “Whilst the majority of North Swindon is urban, there is also a significant rural part of my constituency which stretches to the end of Inglesham. I am therefore always keen to have this annual meeting with local farmers to see what I can do to assist them; whether it’s raising issues on their behalf or asking questions of Ministers. Although it was a rainy day, we still managed to have a look around some of the 300 acre farm, including some of the new born calves!”
