Today in Parliament , Shadow DEFRA Minister Dr Neil Hudson MP urged the Government to defend food-producing land, the Green Belt, and our food security, from excessive development of inappropriately-placed solar farms, during Oral Questions to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Dr Hudson sounded the alarm on the Food and Farming Emergency this country faces as a result of Labour’s damaging and ill-judged policies such as the Family Farm Tax, that put the very future of the farmers and food producers at risk, urging the Government not to exacerbate the crisis by the removal of prime food-producing land.
This question extended his consistent record of calling out the risks posed to greenbelt and food-producing land from the overdevelopment of solar farms as an MP and Shadow DEFRA Minister. He did this back in June highlighting concerns with proposed solar plant between Thornwood and Epping Upland in his Epping Forest Constituency, which you can see here: https://www.neilhudson.org.uk/news/epping-forest-mp-champions-protection-green-belt-and-farmland.
He likewise has consistently sounded the alarm over the devastating farming policies of this Labour Government, using his very first oral question as a Shadow DEFRA Minister to demand the Government reverse the Family Farms Tax. He likewise used his opportunity in Prime Minister’s Questions to highlight this policy and others that have come from his administration, urging he reverse course. You can see that at the following link: https://www.neilhudson.org.uk/news/dr-neil-hudson-mp-challenges-labour-governments-record-prime-ministers-questions
Dr Hudson will continue to stand up for food producers across the country and hold the Government to account for its record.
During the session, Dr Hudson asked:
“Mr Speaker, food security is national security. We are in the middle of a Food and Farming Emergency, created by this Labour Government’s policies, from its heartless Family Farm Tax, to closure of vital support schemes, damaging farming’s ability to thrive and harming rural mental health.
This is only being made worse nationwide, including in my constituency of Epping Forest, by plans for excessive solar development risking taking away prime food-producing land.
When will this Government stop this senseless assault on our greenbelt and countryside, start putting solar in the right place like brownfield sites and on rooftops, and start reversing these damaging policies so that our fantastic farming sector has a fighting chance of being preserved for future generations?”
Afterwards, Dr Hudson commented:
“Thanks to this Labour Government’s senseless policies, including the disastrous Family Farms Tax, we are in the middle of a Food and Farming Emergency.”
“This is only being made worse by the threat to our prime food-producing land from excessive development of solar farms on greenbelt and countryside land.”
“The Government are tone deaf to this problem and are putting our food security at risk."
“I will keep speaking out for our food producers and protecting our precious greenbelt and countryside.”
