Labour have let our farmers down
Zehra Zaidi, MEP candidate for the South West, has written for the Blue Blog about her visit to the Devon County Show at the invitation of Devon Conservative Future:
In addition to campaigning, as an MEP Candidate it is extremely important to support events across the South West region and to be visible and accessible within the wider community.
Over the Bank Holiday weekend, I went to the Devon County Show at Westpoint, Clyst St Mary on the outskirts of Exeter. I was pleased to learn that David Cameron attended another classic show this week, the Royal Bath and West Show in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, and held a Cameron Direct session engaging with and allowing locals to quiz him about a whole raft of issues.
The agricultural shows that are held across the West Country during this period are a lot of fun and showcase the best that rural life has to offer. There is a definite rural community: those involved in farming and associated industries, those running small businesses that are the bread and butter of the rural economy and families and individuals who – like me – would list being part of a close knit community, enjoying a relaxed lifestyle and making a home against the backdrop of truly beautiful countryside, participating in rural activities and sports and enjoying wholesome West Country food in village pubs and farmers markets as some of the big plus points of country living. All these various groups are always well represented at agricultural shows.
The invitation to attend this year’s show came from Devon Conservative Future. They organised a stall where visitors from across Devon and the South West could pick up a large quantity of literature (those in rural areas do not always get the level of information that is given to those in built up areas), speak to the MEPs and MEP Candidates in attendance and could sign up to our ‘Sign up for Change‘ petition to hold an immediate general election. As I arrived I could see CF activists from Plymouth and Exeter Universities, led by Ben Corbridge, Devon County Conservative Future Chairman, handing out Conservative Party leaflets, gathering signatures for the petition and generally engaging with locals. They truly did a sterling job!
After helping out at the CF stall, I went on a walkabout with Neil Parish MEP who is Chairman of the European Parliament’s Agriculture and Rural Development Committee. We met a number of local businessmen and those from the agriculture community, visited some of the excellent trade stands and enjoyed a cup of tea at one of the food tents with a ring-side view of the entertainment on offer at the show (including flying motorbikes, falconry, show jumping, performing dogs, vintage tractors and steam engines).
I also picked up a copy of a wonderful recipe book written by supporters of the Devon County Show called ‘The Very Best of Devon on a Plate’. As HRH The Prince of Wales, Patron of the Devon County Agricultural Association, wrote in its introduction, Devon’s “coastlines, moorland, rolling pastures, and sheltered estuaries…are a larder brimming with an enormous variety of produce: fresh fish, top-quality of meat, fruit, vegetables and, of course, an exceptional range of dairy produce – not least, its world-renowned clotted-cream.” I could not agree more!
We also spent considerable time talking to farmers at the cattle shed, which housed some of the finest livestock that the West Country has to offer. It is hardly surprising that many of the issues raised during the course of the day pertained to rural livelihoods and agriculture. British farmers are among the most efficient in Europe, but they have been badly let down by this Labour government – whether it be over continually ignoring calls for a cull of badgers to tackle Bovine TB, issues with the Single Farm Payments, or failing to properly press for further reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
South West Conservative MEPs have worked closely with and stood up for the interests of our farmers. We will continue to push for further reform of the CAP and ensure that their voice – and the voice of rural communities – is heard.
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