Farming champion visits North Devon to hear concerns of local farmers

A leading voice for farmers in Parliament has been visiting North Devon to hear first-hand the pressures they are facing.

Alistair Carmichael is a farmer himself and chair of the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee, as well as Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland.

He was invited to visit the region by North Devon MP Ian Roome and has been meting local farmers as well as representatives from the National farmers’ Union (NFU).

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Mr Carmichael spoke at a meeting of local farmers and NFU representatives at a meeting held at Portmore Golf Park near Barnstaple yesterday (Thursday, January 15), then on Friday morning he met more local farmers and their families at a farm at Muddiford.

Above: Alistair Carmichael MP speaks to North Devon farmers at the Thursday night meeting at Portmore Golf Park near Barnstaple. Credit: Ian Roome’s office

The visit focused on the issues farmers across North Devon say are hitting them hardest, which includes ongoing uncertainty around the Government’s changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR), often referred to as the ‘family farm tax’.

There are concerns those changes could still affect working family farms, even after the Government’s recent concession which involved increasing the tax threshold, the point inheritance tax becomes payable, from £1million to £2.5m.

Above: North Devon MP Ian Roome (left) with Alistair Carmichael MP and others at the meeting at Portmore on Thursday evening. Credit: Ian Roome’s office

Local farmers also raised concerns with Mr Carmichael about the cumulative impact of rising input costs, labour pressures, unpredictable policy changes and the challenge of long-term planning when schemes and rules change at short notice.

Farmers and NFU representatives also highlighted the importance of food security and maintaining a strong farming sector in a rural area such as North Devon, where agriculture plays a massive role in the economy.

Above: Ian Roome and Alistair Carmichael meeting local farmers at Muddiford on Friday morning. Credit: Ian Roome’s office

Ian Roome said: “Since the election, I’ve been out on farms across North Devon to hear directly about the pressures farmers are facing. It was great to be back out again this week and to keep making the case for the support the sector needs.

“North Devon is built on family farms and these farms are passed down through generations and underpin our local, rural economy. How are farmers meant to plan for the future when the government keeps lurching from one policy to another - it’s ridiculous!

“Even with the Government’s recent concession on the family farm tax, there’s still real anxiety about what the final rules will mean in practice and it comes on top of other frustrations, from the lack of grip on illegal meat imports to the urgent need to strengthen support for farmers in the grocery supply chain.

“That’s why it was important to bring my colleague Alistair Carmichael, as chair of the EFRA Committee, to meet local farmers and the NFU and hear directly about what’s happening on the ground. We Liberal Democrats will continue to fight for a fairer deal for farmers and rural communities.”