Today, Dr Neil Hudson MP for Penrith and The Border, reiterated that further action is needed to ease the rural cost-of-living crisis, following the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (DEFRA) announcement of measures to address the cost-of-living crisis in rural communities, with specific reference to the crisis involving fertiliser costs and availability. .
The measures announced aim to mitigate the impact of rising global fertiliser prices by supporting farmers to transition to alternatives to fertiliser use. Targeted payments were announced to support farmers to sow nitrogen fixing plants and store slurry, reducing the need for reliance on artificial fertilisers. Improved statutory guidance on slurry usage was also announced to provide clarity on how farmers can use slurry amidst some existing uncertainty in this area.
To further support that transition amidst rising gas and ammonium nitrate prices, a delay to restrictions on urea fertiliser use by at least one year was also announced.
Dr Hudson has directly heard from Penrith and The Border’s rural communities about the challenges the cost of living is presenting to them, at his second virtual farming roadshow earlier this month. Several of the 45 rural stakeholders in attendance expressed their concern with rising fertiliser costs.
Following this, Dr Hudson wrote to George Eustice, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, urging action in the most recent Spring Statement to tackle rising costs in fertiliser, as well as costs in fuel, oil and gas and animal feed. Dr Hudson also expressed the need to support those reliant on oil for domestic heating, some of whom face exclusion from grants for central or renewable heating systems. Dr Hudson stressed how Government intervention was vital for households and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic and similar action is needed moving forward.
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, of which Dr Hudson is a member, also wrote to George Eustice on 29 March, urging him for an urgent update on what support is being provided to tackle surging fertiliser costs and its impact on food security. A copy of that letter is available here: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/9508/documents/161711/default/.
Dr Hudson commented: I welcome today’s measures from DEFRA, and their clear ambition to support farmers hit by the cost-of-living crisis. But, if that ambition is going to be realised for those in rural communities, action beyond that taken today is needed. Rising costs have not only been seen in the price of fertiliser, but extends to rises in the cost of oil, diesel and animal feed. Government intervention was critical for households and businesses in the pandemic and is critical now in all these areas for our hard-working rural communities.
I welcome that Government is listening to and meeting with me on these issues and I will continue to campaign as Member of Parliament for Penrith and The Border, and a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, to see rural communities receive all the critical support they need in this most challenging time.
