Reform UK's Farming Policies

’ve been asked a few times recently about Reform UK’s farming policies, so I thought I’d share them publicly in an article.

In the 2024 Manifesto, Reform UK proposed several policies relating to farming, which aim to help small farms.

As I have lived rurally, I understand a lot of the challenges that come with rural life and greatly value British farming. I think it’s important that people know what Reform UK intends to do for farmers if/when in power.

• Increasing the farming budget to £3billion (up from £2.4billion), with a focus on small farms
• Ensuring that 70% of food consumed in the UK is produced domestically
• Ensuring that 75% of food purchased by local authorities is produced domestically
• Empowering the Competition and Markets Authority to combat supermarket price fixing and to get better prices for farmers
• Removing business rates from farm shops, which supports small operations and boosts local food sales
• Protecting country sports
• Removing red tape and bureaucracy for farming, like HMRC paperwork and the British Cattle Movement Service
• Removing agri-environment subsidies and schemes, like Defra’s Environmental Land Management programme
• Stop productive farm-land from being used for re-wilding and solar farms
• Boost smaller food processors and abattoirs through tax breaks and incentives
• Increasing apprenticeships and college courses for farming

The last one is something I think can be pushed locally to not only help farms and young people get experience of farms and have the choice to go into it, but to tackle anti-social behaviour via outdoor pursuits. If elected I’ll be keen to engage with farms, youth clubs, scouts, DofE and see what we can come up with to get the next generations knowledgeable and skilled in farming and the outdoors.

All ideas and feedback on what we can do locally in Padiham & Burnley West is most welcome.