Devon farmers warn of budget stress

A farmer and councillor has spoken of the ‘immediate stress and worry’ of Labour’s budget announcement.

Cherly Cottle-Hunkin, the Lib Dem group leader at Torridge District Council is part of a father and daughter duo working on their sheep and beef farm in Petrockstowe in North Devon.

Cllr Cottle-Hunkin said: “Despite being relatively small, we too have been feeling the immediate stress and worry of Labour’s budget announcements, and thousands of others are similarly feeling the strain.

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“Mental health has always been a massive issue in the farming industry. There are so many uncontrollable variables to contend with: disease, weather, supermarket prices, not to mention all of the uncertainties following Brexit. We’re literally counting trees, and measuring hedgerows in a bid to claw back money lost since leaving the EU, as if we somehow need to prove we’re custodians of the countryside. A complete mockery.

“And now, on top of all of this, farmers have suddenly been told by the new Labour government that we will have to magic up hundreds of thousands of pounds to keep on farming our land into the future. Where do they think this is going to come from? We’re not wealthy and our hours worked don’t come close to minimum wage. The farming families that I know all work other jobs to help keep their farms afloat.

"Yes farms are asset rich- but please don’t call us millionaires: we don’t get to see that money. It’s a livelihood and way of life that has passed down. Something we’ve grown up doing and been involved with since we were born, and we take great pride in producing high welfare, high quality food for people to eat.

“This is far worse than simply feeling angry at the liars in Westminster; we feel sick about our future and don’t want to see our livelihoods disappearing. We’re told there may be ways to gift things over, but this takes seven years to take effect.

"For the majority of us, our parents are getting on in years, some with illnesses that we have no control over- life insurance isn’t even an option... so are we just supposed to pray? Labour told us pre-election that they wouldn’t make changes to IHT relief, they even said the rumours were “desperate nonsense“. They’ve now told us it’s happening and we have less than 18 months.

“The world is a hugely volatile place, especially now, and food security is a serious issue. We all need to eat. I’ve heard people say the government only value their farmers in times of war, but by that time it’s too late. We must make this government think again and realise the implications for the whole country.

“No farmers, no food. This affects everyone.”