Over 40 local farmers and land agents joined Huw Merriman and representatives from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for a roundtable meeting on support for farming in Etchingham last Friday.
The Bexhill and Battle constituency MP hosted the roundtable to provide an opportunity for local farmers to speak directly with officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Rural Payments Agency about the new rural funding schemes which will be replacing the EU Basic Payment Scheme post Brexit.
The Rural Payments Agency is responsible for supporting the country’s farming and food sector, including by boosting the productivity of the farming industry, delivering subsidies to the sector, as well as helping to bolster the rural economy via related development schemes. Farmers, land managers and foresters can apply for money to improve the environment and their farm's productivity through a variety of new scheme and one-off grants.
Commenting on the Roundtable, Huw said:
“The Bexhill and Battle constituency, which I have the privilege to represent, is over 80% rural. The farming sector is therefore an integral and significant part of the local economy as well as an important employer. Last Friday’s Farming Roundtable was a good opportunity for local farmers to meet senior officials from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Rural Payments Agency and to hear more about the new rural support schemes, to discuss the challenges they face and to provide direct feedback to policy makers.
“Having left the EU, we now have the chance to shape the farm payments and grants schemes to make sure they work for our farmers without placing a heavy administrative burden on them. It was good to listen to feedback from both sides about the new rural policies and how they could work better for farmers to help increase our nation’s food security alongside the important environmental land management and nature recovery goals which remain a key priority for the government.”
