2 days Ago By Lucie Heath
Cutting agricultural funding could put farms out of business and thwart efforts to reduce pollution in rivers , farmers have warned, as they fear Labour could be about to slash their budget. In an interview with i , Rachel Hallos, the vice-president of the National Farmers Union (NFU) , said there were “real concerns” about Labour’s manifesto that could leave the industry “going backwards”. It is the only major party that failed to mention the agricultural budget in its manifesto, with the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Green Party all promising to boost the money given to farmers by varying degrees.
The party also made no mention of the budget in its National Policy Forum, a package of policies published in October. The omission has led to fears in the agricultural industry that funding could be reduced, as Labour looks to prioritise other areas such as the NHS and education. Ms Hallos said Labour’s lack of commitment to date on agricultural funding is “a big, big concern”.
“If you take that money out of the industry, where’s it going to come from? It’s not sitting around underneath someone’s mattress.” It comes as parts of the UK farming industry face scrutiny for the pollution of rivers. While the NFU has lobbied against tougher environmental regulations on farmers in the past, Ms Hallos insisted the industry was serious about tackling pollution, but needed funding from Government.
Asked whether a funding cut under Labour would jeopardise wo.
