Labor promises 'new deal' for British farmers

The British Labor Party believes that half of the food in public canteens should be British. Labor leader Keir Starmer promised British agriculture a 'new deal for farmers' in his New Year's message. Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said when he took office that he wanted to hold a general election in 2024.

In opinion polls, the Labor Party is significantly ahead of the Conservatives, who have replaced their own Prime Minister three times in the past two years. The Labor opposition has pledged to improve food security and boost Britain's farming sector, including a target for at least half of the food in hospitals, schools and prisons to come from British agriculture.

Starmer said the Conservatives had failed farmers. He reiterated his plan to conclude a new veterinary agreement with the EU. If successful, it would massively reduce red tape for British farmers. But it would also mean that Great Britain would still sign the EU standards for the admission of those goods.

Labor says more than 6,300 agricultural businesses have gone bankrupt since 2017 'under Tory rule', including almost 5,000 meat, fruit, vegetable and dairy producers. Over the same period, the number of jobs in agriculture, forestry and fishing fell by 30%, the party added.

While many British farmers blame Brexit for damaging their competitiveness, Labor is saying nothing about a possible return to the EU. According to recent British opinion polls, more than half of Britons are in favor of this. At the time of Boris Johnson's referendum, Labor was also not against withdrawing from the EU. Labor does acknowledge that some of the problems in British agriculture have been caused by Brexit.