General Election 2024 manifesto pledges for farming industry

The July 4 election has been described as potentially "the most important in a generation" for farmers. Here are some of the key manifesto pledges for agriculture.

Conservative

The Conservative manifesto says the party will “always be on the side of farmers”, and pledges to raise the UK farming budget by £1bn over the next parliament.

The promised funding will rise by inflation in every year, it says, with farmers able to spend “every extra penny” on grants to boost domestic production, on top of the existing nature-friendly farming schemes which have replaced EU-era subsidy payments.

The Tories also promise planning reforms to fast-track permissions for building farm infrastructure such as glasshouses and small-scale reservoirs, and pledges to introduce a legally-binding food security target, and to ensure that at least 50pc of public sector food expenditure is spent on food "produced locally or to higher environmental production standards".

The party also said it would move away from the reliance on seasonal migrant labour with a five-year visa tapered scheme, alongside investment in automation and promoting agri-food careers and skills.

And it pledged to “stand up for farmers when negotiating new trade deals”, following warnings from farming groups that post-Brexit deals undermined British producers by allowing imports of foreign food that was reared or grown to standards that would be illegal here.

Conservative leader Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer on the campaign trail (Image: PA)

Labour

Labour launched its manifesto with a claim that “food security is national security” and a pledge to “champion British farming whilst protecting the environment”.

Unlike other parties, there are no details about the future agricultural budget.

But the party says it will set a target for half of all food purchased across the public sector to be locally produced or certified to higher environmental standards.

It also promises to introduce a land-use framework and make environment land management schemes work for farmers and nature.

And it says it will work with farmers and scientists on measures to eradicate bovine TB, and end “ineffective” badger culls.

Lib Dem

The Liberal Democrats pledged to “stand up for British farmers and ensure everyone can get affordable, healthy and nutritious food, produced to high welfare and environmental standards”.

Its manifesto pledges to accelerate the rollout of the new Environmental Land Management schemes, funded with an extra £1bn per year to “support profitable, sustainable and nature-friendly farming”.

Other promise include implementing a comprehensive National Food Strategy to ensure food security, tackle rising food prices, end food poverty and improve health and nutrition.

The Lib Dems also say they want to “give Britain’s farmers the ability to trade with our European neighbours with minimal need for checks”, by negotiating comprehensive veterinary and plant health agreements.

Reform UK

Reform UK said it would “take advantage of Brexit” to put British agriculture “back on its feet.”

Among the “critical reforms” it says are needed in the first 100 days is increasing the farming budget to £3bn.

The party wants to focus on smaller farms, keep farmland in use, bring young people into the industry, boost the rural economy and increase innovation and diversification. Taxpayer-funded organisations should source 75% of their food from the UK, it adds.

And it says it would scrap climate-related farming subsidies, saying “Productive land must be farmed, not be used for solar farms or rewilding”.

Green

The Green party says it wants to “transform our food and farming system” to produce healthy food at fair prices for consumers and with fair wages for growers.

It says elected Greens will push for financial support for farmers to be “almost tripled” to support their transition to nature-friendly farming, and for farm payments to be linked to reduced use of pesticides and other agro-chemicals.

The party also aims to increase the amount of food grown and traded locally in the UK.

Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers' Union (Image: NFU)

Industry reaction

Farming leaders have welcomed the recognition of the importance of food security in the election manifestos - and the pledges from most parties to increase the farming budget.

In the run-up to the election, rural business groups have called for more money  to fund the new environmental land management (ELM) payment schemes which are replacing the former EU subsidy regime being phased out after Brexit.

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) and the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) said the budget must be raised from its current level of £2.4bn a year, where it has remained since before Brexit, to at least £4bn.

The Tories and Lib Dems have each pledged to boost the annual budget by £1bn, and Reform UK says it would increase it to £3bn.

However, there is no mention of an agriculture budget in the Labour manifesto, something which NFU president Tom Bradshaw said was “deeply disappointing”.

Mr Bradshaw, who farms near Colchester, said there are "plenty of positives" across the manifestos, including commitments to increase public sector sourcing from British farms.

“But the single most vital element is the agricultural budget," he said. "This isn’t just ‘money for farmers’, it’s the funding which helps the sector transition away from the old EU system, allows farm businesses to invest for the future and makes governments’ aims around sustainable food production, food security, the environment and net zero possible.

"It’s funding to help underpin the UK’s largest manufacturing sector – food and drink – which contributes more than £128bn to the national economy and provides jobs for four million people."