²ÝÁñÉçÇø

Civil servants have to go on mute during the run up to the General Election, but politicians should be out and about for all the votes that they can muster. That was the message from Tenant ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Association (TFA) chief executive George Dunn after both the Defra Secretary Steve Barclay and the Shadow Defra Secretary Steve Reed pulled out of engagement sessions organised by the TFA.

Who will get your vote?

General Election

READ NOW: FG has been digging into what a new Government could mean for farming. Check out all the exclusive blogs from party leaders

While the tenanted sector has been in the spotlight in recent months with policies brought forward to tackle bad practice, the announcement of the General Election has brought uncertainty, particularly over the implementation of a Tenant Farming Commissioner.

READ ALSO: Prime Minister commits to a Tenant Farming Commissioner

Tenant farmers

Mr Dunn said the ‘most prevalent view' expressed to him by TFA members in light of the General Election is ‘whether to vote at all.' "With this being the fourth General Election in the last 10 years, many TFA members are questioning whether any real difference will be achieved regardless of who forms the next Government.

READ ALSO: General Election: What does it mean for farming and who will farmers be voting for?

However, the TFA believes that with the current global situation, this election could be one of the most important for the farming industry for a generation," he said.

Labour and Conservatives

He added farmers needed to hear from politicians about their plans for farming policy and create a resilient agricultural industry. A Labour spokesperson said since the General Election was called a ‘wide range of engagements have had to be rescheduled or cancelled due to campaigning.'

"We will continue to engage with key stakeholders throughout the campaign and we look forward to taking our plans for farmers and rural communities to voters across the country."

The Conservative Party has been approached for a comment.