Somerset Councillors came together to back local farmers and food producers in their last meeting of 2024. With 3 motions passed that backed our rural communities, there was a clear message that Somerset Council is pro-farmers and the vital role they play in our economy and environment.
Conservative Councillors Faye Purbrick and Lucy Trimnell delivered impassioned opening statements for the debates that followed their proposed motions to oppose the family farm tax and support meat, diary and arable farmers across our county (find out more about their motions here).
Cllr Purbrick opened the debate by outlining the scale of farming across Somerset: "There are nearly 4,500 farms in Somerset employing nearly 10,500 people. NFU analysis suggested 75% of commercial farms will be affected by this new tax meaning a total potential impact in somerset of over 3300 farming families" she continued "Agriculture Property Relief (APR) is not and a loophole – it is a policy designed to protect Britain’s family farms from being sold or broken up – to keep them sustainable as the stewards of our countryside."
As current and former farmers, Councillors Bradford, Cavill and Osborne spoke about the pressures faced by farming families and the importance of the APR policy to enable farming on a sustainable and more environmentally beneficial scale.
Many members expressed their support for both motions and recognised the importance of the meat and dairy farming industry for Somerset, welcoming Cllr Trimnell's motion that highlighted the additional international pressures that farmers and food producers have faced in recent years. She stated: "I was proud to bring this motion to our December Full Council meeting and was really pleased to see three different motions focussing on support for farming and food production. As I said in my opening remarks we were made so aware of the vulnerabilities of our food supply during Covid and the war in Ukraine that it is incumbent on us to ensure that we work as a council to protect and promote our farming industry to help to ensure its ongoing success. Today we took that first step towards ensuring that those farmers who work day and night, every day of the year know that Somerset Council supports their efforts as well as that of those who work to bring that food to our plates.’
Councillor Mandy Chilcott, leader of the Conservative group noted: "Whilst it was disappointing that opposition councillors attempted to water down the motion about the family farm tax by asking to change it to read a "concern" rather than something they would "oppose", it was heartening to see all three farming motions passed with a large majority of support across all political parties. As the Labour Government continue to take decisions with no thought or concern about how these matters disproportionately affect our rural communities, we will continue to make the case for the needs of our area and push for them to reconsider ill-thought through policies like tax raids on our farmers and small businesses and removing winter fuel payments from isolated low-income and vulnerable pensioners."
