This week in the Chamber of the House of Commons, from the Despatch Box, Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Dr Neil Hudson MP has reinforced his commitment to supporting rural communities and addressing the challenges posed by flooding and animal disease outbreaks.
The previous Conservative Government made significant progress in flood protection, safeguarding over 600,000 properties through measures such as the £100 million Frequently Flooded Allowance and a £5.2 billion flood resilience program. These initiatives have been instrumental in protecting homes, businesses, and farmland from extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change. Dr Hudson also emphasised that the mental health toll of flooding often lingers long after the waters recede.
Rural communities often face other unique challenges, biosecurity threats such as Avian Influenza, and Foot and Mouth Disease that devastated communities in the UK in 2001 and is now back in Europe with recent cases in Germany and Hungary. Dr Hudson has been a vocal advocate for strengthening biosecurity measures and ensuring adequate funding for critical infrastructure like the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s Headquarters in Weybridge.
However, the Labour Government have been criticised for exacerbating these challenges through policies such as the Family Farm Tax. Additionally, the Government has scrapped the Farming Resilience Fund, which provided vital mental health support to farmers navigating these pressures.
Dr Hudson has been a steadfast campaigner for improving rural mental health. He has previously triggered an Inquiry and Report on Rural Mental Health by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee. As an officer of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention, Dr Hudson has consistently pushed for parity between physical and mental health care.
In the Chamber, Dr Neil Hudson said:
“The Conservative Government protected over 600,000 properties from flooding, introduced the £100 million Frequently Flooded Allowance and committed to a £5.2 billion investment in flood protection.
“However, we know that the mental health impacts of flooding remain long after the waters subside.
“Rural communities face unique challenges, including outbreaks of diseases such as avian influenza and foot and mouth—a clear and worrying threat, given the recent cases in Germany and Hungary. Unfortunately, this Labour Government are exacerbating such stresses with their Family Farm Tax and by scrapping the Farming Resilience Fund, which supports mental health.
“Can the Minister confirm, for the sake of mental health, what support will be offered to rural communities in place of the scrapped fund?”
Speaking afterwards, Dr Neil Hudson said:
“Our rural and farming communities do so much to feed our nation.
“The Labour Government's decision to scrap the Farming Resilience Fund is short-sighted and potentially harmful to the mental well-being of our rural communities.
“We owe it to them to provide robust support so they can thrive despite these challenges.”
