Government Acts to Back British Farms: Southport and Northern Parishes Stand to Benefit

Damien Moore MP welcomes the Government’s plan to back British Farmers with measures to boost food security across Southport and the Northern Parishes. 

Local Member of Parliament Damien Moore MP has welcomed the Government’s second annual food security summit and the launch of the plans to boost domestic food production and improve food security across Southport and the Northern Parishes.

The plan builds on the Government’s strong measures to support British farming, including maintaining the annual £2.4 billion Farming budget, Country Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Schemes, and the introduction of the new UK Food Security Index (UKFSI). This index will allow the Government to monitor supply stressor events across the UK while supporting the sector to grow more food domestically.

The Government has responded to and addressed the Shropshire Review findings, ensuring that the domestic farming sector has the temporary labor it needs, and the investment funding to support enhanced industrial automation. This includes a tapered extension of the seasonal visa route for 5 years, while investing £50 million into the industrial Packhouse Automation Funding programme.

The Government has also published the Blueprint for Growing the UK Fruit and Vegetable Sector, introducing plans to build the resilience of the UK’s fresh produce sector to boost domestic production and reduce reliance on imports. Further measures in the plan include cutting 60 pieces of redundant Retained EU Law red tape and unlocking the opportunities of precision breeding with £15 million invested into Genetic Improvement Networks.

Furthermore, the Government is also supporting farmers in getting a fair price for their products by announcing the next steps in the supply chain reviews for eggs, fresh produce, and pigs. In all three sectors, the Government will introduce legislation to enhance fairness and transparency, ensuring the integrity of our food industry.

Finally, the Government is also providing grants of between £500 and £25,000 to farmers affected by exceptional flooding due to Storm Henk. It is also putting in place flexibility through temporary adjustments to agreements in Sustainable Farming Incentives (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship so farmers who have been unable to carry out requirements do not miss out on income in the transition from the EU Basic Payment Scheme to SFI.

Commenting, Member of Parliament for Southport, Damien Moore, said: 

 “Farmers across Southport and the Northern Parishes work tirelessly to supply our communities and grow our regional economy. 

“I am therefore delighted that the Government have announced further plans to support British farmers, including introducing the UKFSI, flood remediation scheme, and food supply review, while maintaining the annual farming budget to support our farming community and grow our rural economies. 

“However, to ensure sustainable economic growth and diversification for our rural farming communities, I am formally calling for the expansion of the exceptional flooding scheme to allow for the rapid distribution of repair funding within flooded communities.

“Moreover, I will continue to campaign for the establishment of a regional Internal Drainage Board (IDB) for the Northern Parishes, devolving watercourse and flood response management to our local communities to better regulate outflows, infrastructure, and flood prevention measures.”

Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries said:

 “Supporting British farmers is a priority for this government. Farming is the lifeblood of our rural communities, and offers huge economic benefits to the whole of the UK. But, we need to go further in improving farming resilience, increasing food security, and boosting domestic food production.

“We are determined to continue supporting British farmers in this – and this plan will help ensure that farmers have the support they need to increase domestic production and ensure a strong farming sector for generations to come.

“The long-term decisions we are taking will help ensure the future of British farming and of domestic food production and security.”