Now is not the time to turn our backs on family farms
The Independent|December 15, 2024
With soaring costs already biting hard, the last thing farmers need is the 'tractor tax', writes Lib Dem leader Ed Davey
Ed Davey
Now is not the time to turn our backs on family farms

British farmers are the best in the world because of our tradition of family farming. Family farming has tethered agricultural practices in the UK to the skills which have long guaranteed British quality food, produced to high standards and with care for our natural world.

But now the farmers feeding our country are sometimes barely able to afford to feed their own families. For far too many, the sums simply don’t add up.

In the last year alone, 8,100 UK farms closed their doors – equal to one in 25 of all farms in the country. Without these family farms, the wider rural community cannot prosper; our food security, our countryside, our natural environment and our cultural heritage are all supported by family farming.

Often ignored in Whitehall, where rural communities are misunderstood, family farms are also a massive part of our clean energy future and give us a fighting chance against climate change.

I know how worried farmers are about their incomes and I am desperately worried about the tragic rise in suicides in farming communities. There is a wider issue of mental health crisis in farming, and many farmers rightly feel the latest tax on family farms comes at the worst possible time.

この記事は The Independent の December 15, 2024 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は The Independent の December 15, 2024 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

THE INDEPENDENTのその他の記事すべて表示
Bullseye! How this friendly rivalry is finding its target
The Independent

Bullseye! How this friendly rivalry is finding its target

It took Luke Littler approximately three weeks to prove he wasn't a flash in the pan. \"Littlermania\" had swept through the UK when an unheralded 16-year-old from Warrington downed former world champions and established stars to shockingly reach the final of the 2024 PDC World Darts Championship.

time-read
5 分  |
December 15, 2024
Manchester derby shaped by two Sporting encounters
The Independent

Manchester derby shaped by two Sporting encounters

Pep Guardiola is on to the fifth Manchester United manager of his reign at Manchester City.

time-read
4 分  |
December 15, 2024
Arsenal let crucial chance slip in Everton stalemate
The Independent

Arsenal let crucial chance slip in Everton stalemate

Arsenal’s challenge for the Premier League title suffered another dent after they were held to a goalless draw by Everton at the Emirates.

time-read
2 分  |
December 15, 2024
Liverpool fail to overcome Fulham but make a point
The Independent

Liverpool fail to overcome Fulham but make a point

Two points dropped, one test of character passed. It remains to be seen which proves more significant in the final reckoning, but this was stirring stuff from Liverpool.

time-read
5 分  |
December 15, 2024
Owner of Mango fashion house dies in mountain fall
The Independent

Owner of Mango fashion house dies in mountain fall

The founder of the fashion empire Mango died yesterday in a mountain accident, the company has said.

time-read
1 min  |
December 15, 2024
Anti-West hardliner elected as new president of Georgia
The Independent

Anti-West hardliner elected as new president of Georgia

Former Premier League footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili has been elected as the president of Georgia, replacing the pro-Western incumbent.

time-read
2 分  |
December 15, 2024
South Korean parliament votes to impeach president
The Independent

South Korean parliament votes to impeach president

Yoon Suk Yeol insists that his suspension will be 'temporary'

time-read
3 分  |
December 15, 2024
Thousands escape horrific conditions of Syrian camp
The Independent

Thousands escape horrific conditions of Syrian camp

The Rukban camp was supposed to provide refuge to those fleeing chemical weapons attacks and other atrocities. Those trapped there could only pray for survival, writes Bel Trew

time-read
4 分  |
December 15, 2024
Comic McCausland wins Strictly Come Dancing
The Independent

Comic McCausland wins Strictly Come Dancing

Chris McCausland and his professional partner Dianne Buswell were crowned the winners of Strictly Come Dancing's 2024 series yesterday.

time-read
4 分  |
December 15, 2024
"This is such a special, special place. It is magical'
The Independent

"This is such a special, special place. It is magical'

Alex Croft meets the residents of the UK's happiest towns

time-read
4 分  |
December 15, 2024