Deputy President to rally farming troops at ploughing match

Farmers who attend the 86th Cheshire Ploughing and Hedgecutting Match tomorrow will be urged to set up meetings with their MPs, read the NFU’s new manifesto and show why farming matters in the next election.

NFU’s deputy President, Meurig Raymond, will be at the ploughing match, urging farmers to lobby MPs and prospective candidates hard with the aid of the NFU’s new manifesto.

This year’s ploughing match takes place at Agden Brook Farm in Altrincham on Wednesday 30 September. It’s a fortunate venue as the Conservative Party Conference will be held only a stones throw away in central Manchester five days later.

Mr Raymond said: "Following the next general election we may well be facing a very different political landscape. This presents the agricultural and horticultural industries with an opportunity to reiterate why farming matters, not only to sitting MPs and prospective candidates of all parties, but to the country at large.

"Our manifesto proposes some practical and easily implementable policies that, if adopted, will deliver a number of benefits for the country and countryside. I will be urging the farmers of Cheshire, Greater Manchester and South Lancashire to start lobbying now. They can begin by reading the NFU manifesto and attending the NFU’s fringe meeting at the Conservative Party Conference.

"It’s up to farmers to show politicians why farming matters. It’s no good bemoaning the state of the industry amongst ourselves at events like the ploughing match. We have to meet MPs in person, inform them of problems and then offer them our solutions."

The NFU’s fringe meeting at the Conservative Party Conference will be called ’A Blueprint for Farming: What does the future hold for agriculture under a Conservative Government?’.

It will take place on Monday 05 October at 6.30pm in room 508, 5th floor, Peter House, 82 King Street, Manchester. It will be chaired by Philip Dunne MP and the speakers will be Nick Herbert MP (Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), Jim Paice MP (Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs) and NFU President Peter Kendall. NFU members wishing to attend should call the regional office on 01695 554900.