Andy Burnham in Cornwall

I invited our new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, down to Cornwall and was glad when he wanted to visit Colwyn Farm near Perranwell within the first month of his premiership. Farming Minister, Stephen Morgan and Tom Bradshaw from the National Farmers’ Union also joined.

The Prime Minister made some announcements about the action the Government is taking to relieve the pressure on farmers, who are dealing with the effects of one of the driest summers in living memory. That includes more flexibility in Environmental schemes, meaning farmers affected by drought can continue to receive payments and protect their livestock, crops and land, and increasing the Sustainable Farming Incentive budget by £50m to fund more drought-resilient farming practices.

£15m of investment will be used to build reservoirs to help farmers store water, with updated planning guidance and Environment Agency support to simplify water abstraction procedures.

The Prime Minister wanted to make his commitment to supporting farmers, sustainable farming and food production crystal clear.

I updated the Farming Minister on the bluetongue virus that is sweeping through Cornwall, Devon and Somerset. He went on to visit an affected farm after he was in Truro. Government departments are working on speeding up testing, vaccine availability and removal of fallen stock.