²ÝÁñÉçÇø

EXCLUSIVE - Victoria Atkins: "The relationship between this Government and the countryside is broken"

Shadow Defra Secretary Victoria Akins said Defra quangos and regulators need to either be scrapped or streamlined because at present, they do not serve the best interests of farmers, the countryside and the country as a whole

clock • 3 min read
Conservative MP for Louth and Horncastle Victoria Atkins said: "Schemes thought up by civil servants take land out of productive use, reducing food security without actually delivering environmental improvements. Cutting red tape and reducing the power of unaccountable regulators is the first step towards restoring trust, boosting food security, and helping British farmers thrive."
Image:

Conservative MP for Louth and Horncastle Victoria Atkins said: "Schemes thought up by civil servants take land out of productive use, reducing food security without actually delivering environmental improvements. Cutting red tape and reducing the power of unaccountable regulators is the first step towards restoring trust, boosting food security, and helping British farmers thrive."

At every opportunity, the Government have made life harder for farmers, with the family farm tax fiasco, the overnight withdrawal of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and now the mission creep of...

To continue reading...

Already a member? Login for full access.

New to ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Guardian? Register for 1 free article per week or become a member for unlimited access to essential farming news and insights.

article-img-580x358

Ìý

More on Politics

Middle East conflict prompts weekly fertiliser price reports from AHDB

Middle East conflict prompts weekly fertiliser price reports from AHDB

Due to the tensions in the Gulf, the Farming Minister has requested AHDB to report fertiliser prices on a more regular basis

clock 29 March 2026 • 2 min read
Farming Matters: John McArthur – "This is not livestock versus plant protein – it is about British farmers producing more of the food this country depends on"

Farming Matters: John McArthur – "This is not livestock versus plant protein – it is about British farmers producing more of the food this country depends on"

This week's opinion from throughout the world of agriculture: John McArthur, managing director, McArthur BDC

John McArthur
clock 28 March 2026 • 3 min read
Countryside in uproar as Gov accelerates plan to ban trail hunting

Countryside in uproar as Gov accelerates plan to ban trail hunting

Labour has opened a long-awaited public consultation to speed up its key manifesto pledge to ban trail hunting

Chris Brayford
clock 26 March 2026 • 2 min read