Helen calls for emergency support for North Shropshire farmers after funding ‘shambles’

Helen Morgan, MP for North Shropshire, has joined calls for urgent support for farmers after a scramble for Government funding was likened to “trying to bag an Oasis ticket”.

Speaking during a debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday (22nd October), Helen said farmers in the county had been let down by a process that saw a crucial online funding pot dry up in a matter of hours, with many farmers criticising the system for rewarding ‘fastest finger first’.

Reports of technical problems and website failures prevented many from completing applications to the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme, missing out on £233m earmarked to help farmers provide environmental improvements and produce food sustainably.

During the ‘Opposition Day’ debate, Helen highlighted the cases of farmers having to work on their farms instead of spending time in front of a computer. When they came to apply, the funding had gone.

Helen joined her Liberal Democrat colleagues calling on the Government to provide additional support for farmers who missed out, to review the first-come, first-served approach and to give rural businesses greater certainty about the future of farm funding.

Speaking during the debate, Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, said: “What's most frustrating to farmers is that everybody could see this disaster coming. From a good country mile away, a budget of £233million for farmers across England was insultingly short of the public funding needed to recognise the hard work and stewardship that our farmers undertake.”

Speaking after the debate, Helen added: “Applying for vital support to help farmers produce food and protect the environment shouldn’t feel like a race against the clock and hardworking farmers cannot afford to sit in front of a computer screen all day refreshing webpages.

“Farming is the backbone of our rural economy in North Shropshire and farmers are already dealing with rising costs, extreme weather and uncertainty about the future. The least they should be able to expect is a funding system that is fair, reliable and accessible.

“The Conservatives created huge uncertainty through their mishandling of the transition away from direct payments, and now Labour has made matters worse by presiding over this latest shambles.”

Concluding her speech, Helen asked the Minister to confirm the failed application process wouldn’t be repeated next year and called on the Government to “actually take British farming concerns seriously”.