The Conservatives have said that Labour will 'never be on the side' of farmers as the party's manifesto was launched today.
The manifesto includes a series of proposals for the farming industry, including a legally binding target to enhance UK food security.
Unveiled by Rishi Sunak in Silverstone today (11 June), the party has also pledged to increase the UK-wide farming budget by £1 billion if they are elected in next month's election.
The Tories warned that the actions by the Labour-led Welsh government showed Labour would "never be on the side of the farming community", adding that the Conservatives would "always be on the side of farmers".
In their manifesto, the Conservatives said: "Our food and farming sectors generate over £120 billion for the UK economy every year.
"In the last parliament, we maintained the farming budget to support our food security. In England, this has supported farmers with a range of options to choose what works best for them, from business advice to new equipment, soil and nutrient management and hedgerow planting."
The Tories say they would increase the UK-wide farming budget by £1 billion and continue to ringfence agricultural funding so it is passed on to farmers in Scotland, Wales and NI, alongside a new UK-wide £20m Farming Innovation Fund.
It would also introduce a legally binding target to enhance UK food security, which would apply UK-wide alongside the UK Food Security Index.
Public sector procurement would also be be improved to deliver their goal that at least 50% of food expenditure is spent on food produced locally or to higher production standards.
And the planning system would be reformed to deliver fast track permissions for the building of infrastructure on farms, such as glasshouses, slurry and grain stores, and small-scale reservoirs.
The Tories add that they would "stick to our plan to support the sector with the labour it needs to maintain our food security, while moving away from the reliance on seasonal migrant labour with a five-year visa tapered scheme."
It comes after the Liberal Democrats launched their manifesto on Monday (10 June), promising to 'rescue' farmers from 'years of neglect'.
Labour's manifesto launch is expected this week.
What are the Conservatives pledging to do for farmers?
If elected on 4 July 2024, the Tories have pledged to:
• Increase the UK-wide farming budget by £1 billion over the parliament
• Continue to ringfence agricultural funding for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Introduce a legally binding target to enhance UK food security
• Improve public sector procurement
• Reform the planning system to deliver fast track permissions for the building of infrastructure on farms
• Use significant investment in R&D to prioritise cutting-edge technology for the industry
• Move away from the reliance on seasonal migrant labour with a five-year visa tapered scheme
• Support UK agri-food and drink attachés in embassies abroad, and look at new markets and new opportunities for farmers
