We’re calling on Government to safeguard the future of farming, and it follows a motion led by Councillor Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin- a fifth-generation sheep farmer- whose family continues to farm land in rural Torrington.
Councillor Cottle-Hunkin is our cabinet member for Rural Affairs, and she emphasised the essential role farming plays in Devon’s economy, environment, and food security, while warning of the growing pressures facing the sector in a meeting of all fellow Councillors.
Devon’s farmers manage over 1.7 million hectares of land, with grazing livestock and dairy farms making up nearly 55 per cent of holdings, according to Government figures. (1).
Yet, the region saw a 32 per cent drop in total income from farming in 2023, with milk and beef remaining the largest contributors (2).
Common to many farming families across the country, Cllr Cottle-Hunkin expressed concern about the proposed changes to family farm taxation and the abrupt closure of Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) applications, both of which have, she says, created uncertainty and great emotional distress.
Councillors are urging the Government to reinstate the Sustainable Farming Incentive with enough funding and long-term support to enable farmers to plan with confidence and continue their role as environmental stewards.
But, she also drew attention to rising mental health challenges within the farming industry.
A recent study found that 91 per cent of UK farmers consider poor mental health the “biggest hidden problem” in the industry, with many working over 60 hours a week and facing rural isolation. (3).
Supported by Councillor Henry Gent, the chair of the Farms Estates Committee, she has now written to Government and both the letter and motion call for:
- Fair trade deals that protect UK standards
- Agriculture to be embedded in the school curriculum.
- Continued support for Devon’s Farmwise initiative* and County Farm Estate.
- Reinstatement of the grant to support the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs.
- Reversal of proposed changes to family farm taxation
- Renewed investment in mental health services for farmers.
- Support for agri-business technology to boost productivity and sustainability
Councillor Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin, our cabinet member for Rural Affairs, said: “
“We urge the government to think again and reintroduce the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme, with sufficient funding and long-term support.
“This is to ensure that farm businesses can plan with confidence, while continuing the good work that farmers do and have done for the environment, driving towards our aspirations for carbon reduction and biodiversity alongside quality food production.
“The proposed changes to family farm inheritance tax rules would threaten the very future of family-run farms across Devon.
“We urge Government to reverse these changes and safeguard the future of the family farm model,” she said.”
“Farming is the backbone of Devon’s rural life. Here at Devon’s County Hall we fully understand the pressures our farming community is facing, and we will work tirelessly to make sure their voices are heard loud and clear by those making the decisions in Westminster.”
Councillor Henry Gent said that ensuring that children from an early age had an understanding and appreciation of farming and where their food comes from was vital and he urged the Government to include it in the school curriculum.
Councillor Henry Gent, chair of the Farms Estates Committee, said:
“In today’s world, understanding where our food comes from and how it’s produced is more important than ever. As environmental concerns grow and the focus on sustainability increases, educating future generations about sustainable food production is essential and that’s why events like Farmwise* are so essential.”
The 13th Farmwise took place last week and It’s one of the showcase moments in DCC’s calendar in which it partners with first generation farmers from across its Farms Estate, Devon County Agricultural Association, to bring children face-to-face with where their food comes from.
On Tuesday October 7 1,500 children from 45 primary schools across Devon visited the event on the outskirts of Exeter and they enjoyed a day with Henry and Cheryl getting their hands dirty, meeting sheep, goats, chicks, cows, and taking part in a range of events including fruit pressing, milling, bread making, a lamb birthing simulator, and making wildflower seed bombs to take back to school to release into the school grounds to encourage wildlife.
“The council has had around 50,000 young children attending Farmwise since it first began in 2013,” said Councillor Gent.
“It’s a delight each year to see so many young children coming through, learning where their food comes from and having an opportunity that many children would otherwise not have in coming face-to-face with farming.
“And although jobs and careers are possibly the last thing on these young children’s minds right now, it does no harm at all to normalise farming and encourage children to see it as something exciting and rewarding they can do in future.
“It’s lovely to think that some of those children who came through our Farmwise doors 13 years ago, may now be involved in farming themselves and working on our Farm Estates,.
“And it’s with this eye constantly to the future and recognising that Devon’s rural economy relies on new farmers coming into the industry, that we need governments to prioritise farming and food security. We need governments to stand by our farmers, not just in words, but through meaningful action.”
1 Agricultural facts: South West region – GOV.UK
2 Agricultural facts: South West region – GOV.UK
3 Report: 91% of farmers say poor mental health is a problem – Agriland.co.uk