"I am from the government and I am here to help," is a sentence calculated to strike fear into the heart of any farmer. The fiasco of the Rural Payments Agency and its failure to deliver the Single Farm Payment has reinforced farmers' deep scepticism about the competence of this government and its concern for the people who live and work in rural areas.
We are not going to make grand promises about the future of farming under a Conservative government and then let everyone down like Labour has done. A Conservative government would focus on three practical steps to help British farmers:
- Cutting the burden of unnecessary farming regulations and inspections
- Making it easier for consumers to buy British by improving food labeling
- Use public procurement to strengthen the link between food grown in our fields and the meals served in our schools and hospitals
