Earlier this month, Richard visited the farm of David Wallis in Riseley.
Speaking after the visit, Richard Fuller MP said:
It was great to spend time with David and his family on their farm in Riseley.
It was very useful to get an up-to-date, first hand account of the challenges facing the agriculture sector; declining prices for produce, increased input costs, ever-expanding bureaucracy and form-filling, and the slow, and sometimes vague transition from direct payments to ELM (Environmental Land Management) scheme support.
Farmers like David are passionate and committed stewards of the countryside as well as producers of high quality ingredients for the foods we take for granted (as witnessed by their awards from the recent Bedfordshire Country Show, including a first prize for their oats). In a business sector that requires long-term planning, our farmers need to be better informed of how, when and in what form they will receive support.
