Farming is the backbone of our rural communities and a vital part of our national life. Across Waveney Valley, farmers work tirelessly to produce high-quality food, care for the countryside, and support local jobs. They deserve policies that provide certainty, reward their contribution, and help them plan confidently for the future.

I regularly meet with farmers and agricultural organisations across the constituency, and their concerns have informed the issues I have raised in Parliament.

The UK rightly prides itself on having some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world, and our farmers take real pride in producing food to those standards. The principle should be simple and fair: if a practice is too cruel to be produced in Britain, it should also be too cruel to be imported into Britain. Anything less undercuts our farmers and compromises the values we hold as a nation.

Too often, however, farmers have faced uncertainty. From deeply concerning inheritance tax proposals, which I consistently challenged and pressed Ministers to make fairer, to abrupt changes to the Sustainable Farming Incentive, confidence has been undermined at a time when stability is needed most.

While the Government has since adjusted its approach to inheritance tax, further progress is needed to deliver a genuinely fair system. Likewise, sudden changes to environmental support schemes send the wrong signal to farmers who are trying to invest in the future of their businesses.

If we are serious about supporting British agriculture and protecting our environment, we must provide long-term clarity, proper funding, and a genuine partnership with the farming community. Farmers should be treated as partners in delivering food security, environmental stewardship, and economic growth, not as an afterthought.

I will continue working with local farmers and Ministers to ensure rural communities have a strong voice at the heart of government.