Labour has sparked a fresh row with Britain’s farming community after unveiling plans that could see farmers encouraged to move away from cattle and towards growing crops for plant-based foods as part of the drive to cut emissions.
The Government’s long-awaited Farming Roadmap sets out a vision for agriculture over the coming years, with ministers arguing farmers will play a key role in helping Britain meet its climate goals while maintaining profitable businesses.
But the proposals have triggered an immediate backlash from livestock farmers, who say Whitehall officials are disconnected from the realities of life on Britain’s farms.
The 71-page strategy highlights the need to reduce emissions from agriculture and points towards greater production of crops such as oilseeds and pulses, which are used in plant-based foods. Ministers also want greater use of robotics, new technology and more environmentally focused farming practices.
For many cattle farmers, however, the suggestion has landed badly.
Henry Graham, who farms 400 cattle in Berkshire, dismissed the idea that land currently used for grazing could simply be converted to growing crops such as lentils.
“The idea of somebody ploughing up pasture to grow lentils is ludicrous,” he said, arguing that much grazing land is unsuitable for such crops because of local conditions and watercourses.
The clash comes at a sensitive moment for Labour’s relationship with rural Britain.
The Government is already facing anger over changes to inheritance tax rules affecting family farms, with many farmers accusing ministers of undermining the future of agricultural businesses that have been passed down through generations.
Critics say the latest roadmap risks deepening that distrust.
National Farmers’ Union chief executive Tom Bradshaw welcomed the ambition behind the document but warned it lacked the practical support needed to deliver its goals.
Intent alone won’t deliver a secure and affordable supply of home-grown food for the nation,” he said.
Others were more blunt. Clive Bailye, who helped organise protests against the so-called family farm tax, said confidence across the sector had been badly damaged.
Until the inheritance tax raid is reversed, no farmer is going to borrow, invest or gamble on new technology because they don’t know whether the business will survive to be passed onto the next generation,” he warned.
The timing is also awkward for ministers because consumer habits appear to be moving in the opposite direction of some environmental ambitions.
Industry figures suggest growth in plant-based diets has levelled off, while chicken consumption has increased and beef consumption has remained relatively stable.
Alongside the environmental measures, Labour has pledged additional support for farming innovation, continued access to seasonal migrant workers for fruit picking until 2030 and greater adoption of automation across the sector.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds insisted the roadmap had been developed in consultation with farmers rather than imposed from Westminster.
Yet for many in the countryside, the document risks reinforcing a perception that ministers are prioritising climate targets over food production.
With farmers already frustrated over tax changes and rising costs, Labour’s attempt to reset relations with rural Britain may instead have opened a new front in an increasingly bitter battle over the future of British agriculture.
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