General Election on a plate
The MP you elect on 4th July could help shape the future of food and farming in Somerset. So what kind of change do they want to enact?
This article was originally published in Somerset Confidential on 21st June.
In case it wasn’t obvious already, food and farming is one of the biggest topics on the political agenda this general election on July the 4th.
That might read as a terribly bold statement, but is so only until you realise how much of what we eat and how we produce it affects various other areas of policy-making. What is, for example, one of the best ways to help alleviate pressure on the NHS? As The Food Foundation will tell you, start by curbing the influence of junk food. And how, for instance, might Parliament take meaningful action on the UK’s species-depleted countryside and horrendously polluted rivers? One way would be to incentivise farmers to look after them.
Some of these concerns are especially applicable to a county like Somerset. If it is correct that, as Countryside Alliance chief executive Tim Bonner has said, "The countryside will be a key electoral battleground" this election, then Somersetians living in rurality (48% of the county’s population, on last count) may well find themselves in the trenches.
It is that kind of electorate, either with firsthand farming experience or living among the effects of it, that can dramatically change the outcome of who represents them in Parliament come July 4th. If the electorates in the now seven Somerset constituencies (previously five) do indeed see a profound importance in food and farming policy, then they will post their ballot with a tick next to the name of the candidate exhibiting a keen interest in the various aspects of food, and who they think will stand up and campaign in the House of Commons for its betterment, if not directly affect food policy according to what future they believe in for Somerset and the UK.
Whether that ‘future’ vision of theirs is a positive one is down to the interpretation of each voter. You might believe, as some candidates do, that Somerset or the UK at large needs to produce more and cheaper food to feed itself, even if that means upscaling the use of agrochemicals detrimental to nature. Or you might be, as some candidates are, in a very different camp – one that curtails emphasis on monocultural, pesticide-dependent crop production in a way that would likely necessitate trade within the EU Single Market once again.
Naturally, right-leaning politicians like Jacob Rees-Mogg (who’s standing for the newly-formed North East Somerset and Hanham constituency this election) would baulk at the latter. The Toryman has a peculiar but telling attitude towards food and farming, that can perhaps be summed up by an episode a farmer in the Somerton and Frome constituency recently related to me. In short, said farmer took Rees-Mogg on a tractor ride round his Somerset farm, then, the next day, Rees-Mogg stood up at a Tory party conference to proclaim, with no hint of irony, that hormone-injected beef, which “should be allowed here” from Australia, was “absolutely delicious”.
For the most part, Somerset voters can get an idea of who stands for what based on a candidate’s party politics. Or, better yet (and among the particularly passionate ones), their personal manifesto. Which is why, leading up to this election, I’ve asked six local candidates hoping to represent Somerset constituencies how they’d campaign for issues relevant to food and farming in their respective region, or the UK as a whole.
Of course, a ring round every party office of every local constituency would be a little too exhausting, so consider this a mere taste of which Somerset parliamentary candidates will stand up for what.
Pelé Barnes – owner of Somerset-based cheesemonger Gouda Karma and Independent candidate for Bridgwater:
“I'm looking to set up something to tackle supermarkets – their prices, waste, expenses on plastic packaging for fruit and veg, and their effect on farmers’ wages.
It's Somerset that people think of when talking about farmers. We can lead by example, starting with more small businesses investment. Bring back the high street by filling up empty buildings and ex-charity shops, vape shops, etcetera, which in turn will lead to direct buying from farms, like I do with my small business Gouda Karma.
There's so much I'd like to get involved with for farmers. I've grown up with them, went to school with them, and have a farmer as my landlord for my business.”
Martin Dimery – Somerset councillor, ex-teacher, former creative director of Frome Festival, and Green candidate for Frome and East Somerset:
“Farmers have been utterly betrayed by Brexit. It is vital we return to the European Single Market in order to give them full access to European markets, without barriers.
We need to reintroduce the kind of EU subsidies that enable them to farm responsibly with a guaranteed income. We cannot allow them to be undercut by cheap, inferior quality imports. Farmers are also the custodians of the countryside. Our ability to reach Net Zero depends on giving them maximum support.”
Sarah Dyke – farmer's daughter, outgoing MP for Somerton and Frome, and Liberal Democrat candidate for Glastonbury and Somerton:
“I have made standing up for Somerset’s farmers one of my key priorities – The UK has lost more than 110,000 farms since 1990, and we only eat 17% of fruit and 55% of vegetables that are grown in the UK. More and more farmers are considering quitting the industry due to huge financial and mental strains, so we have lots to do in order to save British farming.
If we do not tackle these issues, we will be less food secure, families across the country will be unable to access the healthy, locally produced food they need, and farmers who act as custodians of our countryside will lose their businesses.
Farmers are the natural custodians of our countryside, so it is imperative that we provide them with adequate support to ensure we reverse biodiversity decline. This is something that I have been keen to stress in Parliament, where I have championed Somerset Wildlife Trust’s efforts in working with farmers around Somerset to protect crucial habitats for wildlife.
In Parliament I have also been keen to highlight Somerset’s lowland farmers, who have been terribly affected by constant flooding over the last 18 months. We urgently need new natural flood protections, which is why the Liberal Democrats will pay farmers and landowners for creating them with our new, properly funded Environmental Land Management schemes.”
Ian Liddell-Grainger – former farmer, army major, and property developer; outgoing MP for Bridgwater and West Somerset; and now Conservative candidate for Tiverton and Minehead:
“I would put food security first and foremost. As my record shows I have already campaigned vociferously for the UK to become more self-sufficient in food. Importing at least 40% of what we eat is not only costly, it is reckless in an age where world food stocks are under threat on so many fronts, whether from war or weather extremes caused by climate change.
We must intensify production here by harnessing the skills of UK farmers and making best use of our land.
We also need to halt the drift of farmers into environmental schemes merely because they can earn more than they can by growing food. To do that we have to reshape national farming policy – and bring back a stand-alone Ministry of Farming and Food.
We must jump on the supermarkets, legislating to ensure they pay primary producers a 10% margin over and above the cost of production and forbidding them to discount food at a price below production cost.”
Joe Joseph – shepherd, environmental consultant, former lecturer in ‘Agriculture, Countryside and Food’, and Labour candidate for Wells and Mendip Hills:
“I'm Convenor of the West Country Labour and Co-operative Farming, Fisheries and Food (3F) group, which has been informing the development of Labour policy in recent years. Our 3F principles are: food sovereignty; economic democracy; ecological sustainability; and devolution of power to communities. In short, it's about boosting local production and consumption and promoting our great regional produce.
Our Labour manifesto includes a commitment that at least 50% of public food procurement for schools and hospitals will be from local or environmentally certified sources. We will promote 'growing, buying and selling more in Britain', increasing food security and supporting West Country producers.
My personal commitment would be to work with other Parliamentarians for Agroecology to secure a great future for our food system. I would be strongly promoting policies that provide resilient supply chains, high environmental and animal welfare standards, and affordable nutritious food from local suppliers.
Our Co-operative Party policy to 'double the size of the co-operative sector' has been embraced by Labour and that too will be a priority for me, promoting food and farming co-operatives throughout the region.”
Laura Bailhache – lawyer and Reform candidate for Yeovil:
“I’m delighted to be standing in Yeovil where the best dairy produce in the country is made. Reform UK will increase the farming budget to £3 billion; scrap ‘green’ subsidies that encourage the use of productive pasture land for industrial projects such as solar farms or vanity projects like ‘rewilding’. Reform UK will protect country sports which do so much to boost the countryside and rural communities. Reform will give the Competition and Markets Authority the power to stop supermarket price fixing and impose zero business rates on farm shops.”