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The ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Guardian Podcast: Efra chair Alistair Carmichael - we should not go 'the full French', but farmers' fight is far from over

Orkney and Shetland MP and chair of the Efra Committee Alistair Carmichael recently presented a Bill urging Parliament to address supply chain unfairness and the imbalance of power dynamics between farmers and supermarkets

Jane Thynne
Head of News and Business
clock • 1 min read
The ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Guardian Podcast: Efra chair Alistair Carmichael - we should not go 'the full French', but farmers' fight is far from over

On this week's ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Guardian Podcast, farmer and Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael discusses Defra and why, despite current policies, he does not believe Labour Ministers Daniel Zeichner and Steve Reed set out to harm farming.

Instead, he says the problem lies with the Treasury and that while the campaign to reverse or amend the family farm tax may be long, farmers must keep campaigning.

READ NOW:ÌýEfra chair presents Food Supply Chain Fairness Bill in Parliament to back British farmers

"When it comes to going the ‘full French' I would say keeping public opinion on our side is very important and I would be really anxious about anything which risked alienating the rest of the public... The Government has pushed us into a corner and we have to keep pushing back.

Defra

"I do not think there is a silver bullet in this. But I think the thing we do have is an advantage in this battle is the length of it. We will not be voting until October/November on this and that is a long time for any Government to double down.

"We have to just keep fighting and keep doing, and keep doing it again after that. If there was a silver bullet here, I would find it and I would fire it."

LISTEN NOW: The ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Guardian Podcast: Trump, tariffs and tractors – what do US policy moves mean for UK farming?

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²ÝÁñÉçÇø Guardian chief reporter Rachael Brown and deputy editor Alex Black explore whether political promises will bring change for UK farmers

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"You think it's never going to happen to somebody you know": Sam Stables and Louise Layton on mental health in farming | For Flock's Sake Ep. 6

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Sam Stables and Louise Layton join ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Guardian’s Ellie Layton and Tom Ryder for the latest episode of For Flock’s Sake

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clock 02 September 2026 • 2 min read
When an ambulance is two hours away, what do you do? | The ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Guardian Podcast

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Northamptonshire farmer Ben Aveling joins the ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Guardian podcast to explain how a serious accident during tupping changed his family’s approach to emergencies

clock 18 August 2026 • 1 min read