Freddie van Mierlo MP brings farmers together for rural round table in Watlington
Local farmers from across the Henley and Thame constituency met with Freddie van Mierlo MP on Friday 7 November for a wide-ranging farming round table hosted jointly by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and the National Farmers’ Union (NFU).
The event, held at Watlington Town Hall, formed part of a series of farming discussions the CLA and NFU are organising with MPs across the Thames Valley. The aim is to bring farmers, representative bodies and parliamentarians together to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the sector and to identify practical actions that can be taken locally and nationally.
More than two dozen local farmers and representatives attended, including members of the Christmas Common farmer cluster, NFU and CLA officers, and local councillors. The session began with opening remarks from Freddie, followed by short briefings from Mike Sims (CLA South East) and Nathan Boyd (NFU) on the current pressures facing the industry. Ted Howard-Jones provided an overview of issues from the perspective of the Christmas Common cluster before the discussion opened to the floor.
Farmers raised a wide range of concerns including the impact of cuts to the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), uncertainty around Agricultural Property Relief (APR), Labour's unfair inheritance tax changes, and the importance of stable long-term funding for nature recovery and food production. Participants also discussed the pressures caused by rising input costs, energy prices and the wider challenges facing rural businesses.
Freddie outlined the work he has undertaken in Parliament on farming, rural mental health and environmental land management, including questions to DEFRA on farm funding, motions on aligning ELMs with nature recovery, and speeches on the impacts of APR changes. He emphasised his commitment to standing up for farmers in Oxfordshire and ensuring their concerns are heard in Westminster.
Speaking after the event, Freddie van Mierlo MP said:
“Farmers are at the heart of our rural communities and central to restoring our natural environment. Today’s discussion was invaluable in hearing directly from local farmers about the pressures they are facing and what changes they want to see from government.
I am extremely grateful to everyone who attended, and to the CLA and NFU for bringing people together. I will continue working across Parliament to press for fair funding, clear regulation and long-term stability for British farming.”