A British farmer has been reduced to tears over Labour’s latest blow to the agricultural industry, as she told GB News how the Government’s pause on subsidies is “enough”.
Starmer’s Government has paused post-Brexit subsidies to boost food production without warning, following their inheritance tax raid on farmers.
National Farmers’ Union President Tom Bradshaw has condemned the move as “another shattering blow” to farmers, with the Government insistent that they are “proud to have set the biggest budget for sustainable food produce in history”.
Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs Daniel Zeichner added: “More farmers are now in schemes and more money is being spent through them than ever before. That is true today and will remain true tomorrow.”
Kelly Seaton has hit out at the decision by Labour to pause the SFI (Sustainable Farming Incentive) scheme
PA / GB News
Hitting out at the latest decision by Labour, farmer Kelly Seaton said the pause has caused “absolute rage” throughout the farming community.
Seaton told GB News: “The subsidies were put in place to be public money for public good following the loss of the basic payments scheme, which was from Europe. The scheme itself is supposed to be part of encouraging nature and farming with the environment.
“Many farmers have not got that claim in place – we thankfully have. For us, that’s worth about £15,000 a year, which is the difference between profit and loss, or half a salary for a member of staff. But this has just caused absolute rage throughout the industry.”
Highlighting the fight farmers are already facing in demanding a U-turn on the inheritance tax raid, Seaton emphasised how the industry is already “incandescent with rage, betrayal, disappointment”.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Farmers marched through Westminster earlier this month in their latest protest against Labour’s inheritance tax raid
PA
She explained: “The Labour Party said that they were going to support farmers with SFI (Sustainable Farming Incentive), and they have quite literally pulled the rug from underneath our feet once again with this. It took ten years to get the SFI scheme in place.
“It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best that we had. And again, they have pulled that from underneath our feet.”
Seaton noted that the last time the SFI scheme was halted, farmers were given “ten days notice”, but now the pause has come “without warning” impacting tens of thousands of agricultural workers.
She stated: “Previously, when they have stopped the SFI claims going through, they’ve given ten days notice so that those that are already in the process can go through. But on this occasion, they’ve given no notice whatsoever.
Seaton told GB News that farmers have been left ‘incandescent with rage’ at Labour’s latest move against them
GB News
“They’re saying that 50,000 farmers have signed up to it and they’ve been able to subscribe. But at this point in time, there are no grants open to farmers.
“We can’t even claim capital grants as well, which also helps us with productivity. So there is nothing open for farmers to claim at this point in time.”
The Government has confirmed that they will not be accepting new SFI applications from today, but funding for existing agreements will be paid and remaining eligible bids for funding will proceed.
