THE “almost complete lack of strategic rural policy or effective rural-proofing in government decision-making” was the main target of comments by the Bishop of St Albans, Dr Alan Smith, within the House of Lords last week.
Speaking in a debate on farming and rural communities, he declared an interest as president of the Rural Coalition, “which has tried to work alongside government over a few years to place some positive ideas, initiatives, and facts and figures on the table to assist us achieve the expansion in the agricultural economy that we imagine we’d like”.
He lamented that there was “no guidance on the delivery of inexpensive housing in rural communities” from the Government, and the way “this yr’s local-government-funding settlement once more leaves rural local government underfunded.” He was concerned that “the agricultural industry will not be really being considered within the Government’s drive for growth. What a waste.
“If these communities are left behind again — 20 per cent of the population live in rural areas and over 500,000 businesses are registered there — we are going to all be the poorer for it, and your complete nation will lose out.”
The Bishop of Hereford, the Rt Revd Richard Jackson, clarified his credentials as speaking from “essentially the most rural diocese within the Church of England”. He also explained his pre-ordination profession as “an agronomist, advising farmers on all features of crop production, translating scientific research into practical solutions.
“However, over 40 years of involvement within the sector, I can truthfully say that I actually have never seen morale so low nor such disillusionment with the Government’s capability to know and reply to the needs of the agricultural industry. A thriving agri-farming industry is important to the broader health of the agricultural economy. Family farms are at the guts of this ecology.
“Foremost in my mind are the boys and ladies who provide the food we eat and who work in an industry that is awfully demanding. In all weathers, with a woeful return on capital and dealing hours that may be unacceptable in almost every other walk of life, they produce essentially the most basic staples of life. Theirs is the mental health and well-being undermined by the proposed taxation policy. They feel ignored, misunderstood, and marginalised. I urge the Government to be certain that this community’s voice is heard and responded to.”
Introducing the talk, Lord Roborough (Conservative) had outlined the scope of the issue. “The list of negative spending and taxation decisions by this Government on farming and rural communities is long. The cumulative impact is devastating on the financial and mental well-being of farmers specifically, but in addition the broader rural community,” he said.
“The reduction in inheritance tax reliefs under agricultural property relief and business property relief stays a hugely emotive and damaging subject.” The drop in Sustainable Farming Incentive and delinked payments was also life-threatening, together with planning decisions similar to compulsory purchase of land.
Baroness Coffey (Conservative), a former Secretary of State within the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) spoke about agrarianism. “We need farmers. We need landowners and rural communities to assist not only with food production but with the long run of our planet. It is concerning the topsy-turvy difficulties with which they live — and our farmers are the unique friends of the earth.”
Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat) desired to acknowledge Dr Smith as “a real champion of rural affairs, particularly as chair of the Rural Coalition, because the agricultural economy is commonly forgotten about. It is essential. It will not be just farming; it’s coastal fisheries, all of the SME environment, and way more. There are big challenges there, as he said.”
Summing up she part she plays as a DEFRA minister, Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour) said: “One of the underlying problems for farmers and the broader rural community is just that farmers don’t make enough money for the exertions and commitment they put in. One of our commitments is to make farming more profitable. . . The Government have made a commitment that each one policy decision-making ought to be rural-proofed.”
Lord Roborough, in his concluding speech, suggested that “the Bishop of Hereford summed up the mood within the countryside. There is an all-time low in morale, which implies there is a big opportunity for this Government to enhance things.”
