Political engagement and the call of curlews
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) members meet with Conservative Candidate for High Peak, Robert Largan
Following on from our meeting earlier this year, the team travelled back to High Peak last Wednesday for a second political engagement meeting, this time with Conservative Candidate, Robert Largan.
Meeting at a members farm, diversified with holiday lets and making use of a FiPL (Farming in Protected Landscapes) grant to build an educational facility, we gathered outside in the beautiful sunshine and admired the curlews calling and circling overhead.
With an agenda put together by CLA members and featuring key topics, the afternoon flew by with Mr Largan answering questions from constituents on a variety of subjects.
Midlands Regional Director, Sophie Dwerryhouse commented “It is really important that CLA members have the opportunity to express the challenges and opportunities they face in their rural communities, and these meetings provide the perfect environment for this to happen.
“We have hosted quite a few of these meetings now and it is always interesting to hear the different thoughts on topics across constituencies.
“The next government has a real opportunity to create change and bridge the gap to achieve the full potential of the rural economy.”
Discussion around Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS), incentives to keep the younger generation farming in the area and tackling rural crime, which members in the area had experienced, were a high priority.
Other subjects that were touched upon were landlord and tenant farmer relationships, creating a fully connected countryside and responsible access.
I had great time last week meeting local farmers and rural business owners at the CLA round table event. It was very encouraging to meet some young farmers and have a proper conversation about the future of farming in the High Peak and issues such as rural crime. I'm proud of my party's record of standing up for farmers, with new plans to increase the UK-wide farming budget by £1 billion over the Parliament, ensuring it rises by inflation in every year, as well as introducing a legally binding target to enhance our food security.
The meeting concluded with a walk around the farm to see the farm education centre which is in the process of being built and will focus on mental health.
To learn more about the political engagement being carried out in your area, click here.