Dr Neil Hudson MP stood at the Despatch Box in his new role as Shadow DEFRA Minister to warn Labour against their "ill judged and heartless" family farm tax that threatens British food security as well as lives and livelihoods in rural communities across the nation.
In the Autumn Budget, Labour announced a family farm tax that will impact thousands of rural businesses and communities across the country. This tax halves the Agricultural Property Relief, which the NFU have said "threatens family farms" and will "make producing food more expensive".
Dr Hudson is concerned that this severely risks our domestic food security by forcing farmers to sell off land to developers and investors, thus rendering prime agricultural land unproductive. This callous policy not only impacts the UK's vibrant farming communities but everyone up and down the land who will see food prices rise as we are subjected to the whims of the volatile international market.
Dr Hudson has been a longstanding advocate for farmers and has campaigned on the issue of Agricultural Property Relief non-stop since it was announced at the end of last month. Read more about Dr Hudson's work here: www.neilhudson.org.uk/news/epping-forest-mp-dr-neil-hudson-urges-government-rethink-protect-family-farms
In the Chamber, Dr Neil Hudson, Shadow DEFRA Minister and MP for Epping Forest, asked:
"Food Security is national security and underpinning this are farmers and farmland. Labour's ill judged and heartless family farm tax will put all of that at jeopardy. Family farms lost, tenant farmers not being able to stay farming, communities hollowed out, rural mental health damaged and precious food producing land lost to developers or investors.
"No farms, no food. No farmers, no food.
"Will the Government please now admit they have got this catastrophically wrong, do the right thing, reverse this farm tax and protect our country's food security?"
Speaking afterwards, Dr Hudson, added:
"I am simply astounded at the lack of respect or understanding the incoming Government has shown for our brilliant British farmers and all of us they feed. The Minister's reply was tone-deaf and noncommittal.
"This misguided policy decision is a short-term cash grab at the expense of long-term food security. I promise to the farmers in Epping Forest and across the UK - we will fight this."
During the previous Conservative Government, Dr Hudson was proud to welcome the biggest update to farming schemes since the start of the agricultural transition. This took the UK government's grant offer to £427 million to invest in farm resilience and innovation - building on the £2.4 billion annual farming budget.
Moreover, Dr Hudson attended the first ever Farm to Fork Summit, where the Conservative Government introduced the Food Security Index, committing to grow 60 per cent of our food at home. Labour have not committed to either the Summit or the Index, threatening to remove key data from the public domain.
