PM announces more funding for farmers amid fears of declining rural support for Tories

The government has promised farmers it will be "by the side" as the industry faces a number of challenges

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised he will "never take food security for granted" as he announced support for farmers amid concerns about declining rural support for the Conservatives.

Speaking to the National Farmers' Union conference in Birmingham on Tuesday, he said the government will be "by their side" as the farming industry faces a number of challenges.

Mr Sunak becomes the first prime minister in more than 15 years to make a speech at the NFU conference since Gordon Brown in 2008.

Have you heard our new podcast Talking Politics? Every week Tom, Robert and Anushka dig into the biggest issues dominating the political agenda…

The prime minister's address is an attempt to win over rural voters, after a survey by the Country Land and Business Association forecasted 51 of the 100 most rural constituencies will switch to Labour at the next election.

His announcement includes a £220 million funding package for technology and innovation to increase productivity - such as robotics, solar panels, and agricultural research.

Under the new plans farms will be able to use robots to help reduce reliance on seasonal agricultural workers.

The money is part of the government’s commitment to maintain support for English farming at pre-Brexit levels of £2.4 billion a year.

Mr Sunak has also announced cuts to "red tape" to make it easier for farmers to develop buildings and increase earnings by opening farm shops, commercial spaces and sporting venues.

The changes to development permissions come after high-profile disputes between TV host Jeremy Clarkson and his local council around building a shop and restaurant on his Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire.

Mr Sunak praised Britain's farmers in his speech, saying: “It’s farmers who feed us, farmers who embody those British values of strength, resilience, warmth and independence.”

He stressed his credentials as an MP in a rural constituency, joking: “I even tried my hand at milking once, not very successfully, I must say.”

Farmers have been dealing with the impacts of soaring costs of inputs including fuel and fertiliser since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, along with the move to a new post-Brexit regime of farming payments that focus on sustainable agriculture.

When asked during a Q&A with NFU members what the government is doing about the barriers to trade with the EU, Sunak admitted it is a "work in progress".

He said: “What we’re doing is working very hard with individual countries to ease all those areas where there are differences."

He also said the Government is committed to ensuring farmers are not undercut in post-Brexit trade deals.

Farmer's concerns about post-Brexit trade, rising costs and environmental reform have led to protests in England and Wales highlighting growing anger at the government within the agricultural sector.

British farmers staged multiple protests in the Port of Dover in February over cheap food imports and threats to Britain's food security.

Last week farmers in Wales also protested over the Welsh government's plans for a Sustainable Farming Scheme, which would replace EU farming subsidies, and oblige farmers to keep 20 per cent of their land aside for environment reasons.

Farming protests have also spread across Europe, sparked by a number of different issues, but all rooted in farmers' earnings.

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay insisted Brexit had actually helped farmers, saying "what Brexit has enabled us to do is to replace the old bureaucratic system ... that didn't work for food production, and replace it with a scheme that is bespoke to the needs of our farmers".

Addressing the NFU conference ahead of the prime minister's speech, NFU President Minette Batters said: “We must see changes this year to redress the imbalance between environment and food production in government policy before many more farms just simply disappear.”

Ms Batters warned of an “ill-informed utopia where we live on lab-grown meat and gloop produced in factories”.

“This joyless dystopia can never replace the benefits of nutrient-rich food grown in soil with water and sunlight,” she said.

Shadow Environment Secretary Steve Reed accused the Conservatives of bringing "devastation on British farming", and said the PM was "panicked" into speaking at the conference.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...