Backing Farmers in Newbury and West Berkshire

New figures have revealed that farming incomes have plummeted in the past year, with average livestock incomes falling by almost 20% in real terms. This is a deeply worrying trend for an industry that not only puts food on our tables but also sustains our countryside and underpins rural life here in Newbury and West Berkshire.

Farmers are being squeezed from every direction. Costs are rising, markets are uncertain, and instead of offering support, the Government has pressed ahead with its damaging Family Farm Tax. It is no wonder that so many farms feel they are being pushed to the wall.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for urgent action. We are urging the Government to scrap the Family Farm Tax and commit an extra £1 billion a year into the farming budget to give our rural communities the stability they deserve. Alongside this, we are proposing a new Farming Innovation, Exchange, Learning and Development (FIELD) Fund. This would help farmers share expertise, better navigate environmental schemes, and improve long-term business viability. Crucially, it would also provide a lifeline for farmer-to-farmer networks, which play such an important role in supporting mental health and encouraging the next generation to enter the industry.

Here in Newbury and West Berkshire, I hear time and again how important it is to back our farmers. They are the backbone of our rural economy. In an increasingly uncertain world, failing to support them does not just risk livelihoods, it threatens our national food security too.

I’ll keep pressing the Government to reverse its assault on farming and to bring forward the support our farmers so urgently need.