Helen calls on new Government to ‘take farming concerns seriously’ after Oswestry Show visit

North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has offered her praise for the ‘bustling and lively’ Oswestry Show, where farmers and residents from across Oswestry and Mid Wales gathered last Saturday.

The show brought together over 120 trade stands, hundreds of exhibitors and a large variety of displays and activities, all with the aim of promoting the agriculture sector and celebrating rural life.

Farming is the backbone of the North Shropshire economy, with around 93% of land in the constituency for agricultural use.

Helen spent her time at the show meeting with local farmers, growers and rural residents. She also met with the National Farmers Union, who have continued to voice concerns about the Sustainable Farming Incentive as well as the botched transition to the Environment Land Management Scheme under the previous Government. 

The MP has repeatedly used time in the House of Commons to press Ministers on issues from the SFI and ELMS to botched trade deals.

She has now committed to calling on the new Labour Government to ‘take farming concerns seriously’ and improve the farm payments system, as well as to bring trade deals like Australia and New Zealand back to the table for renegotiation. 

Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, said,  “The Oswestry Show was a real triumph this year, and it was great to see thousands of people from across North Shropshire gathered to celebrate our rural way of life. Thank you very much to the organisers and everyone who brought along animals or produce – and will no doubt have been glad to see better weather than usual!

“It was especially useful to speak to agricultural businesses in the area, and to hear about what they want to see from the new Government. It’s particularly important that the farm payments scheme is improved and trade deals that have undercut British farmers are renegotiated.

“I’ll be taking these points and more up with the new Ministers in DEFRA over the coming weeks and months. The problems faced by British farming are very serious, and we need to see from the Government that they care about areas like Shropshire and can offer solutions which take farming concerns seriously.”