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Farmers' hopes for Autumn Budget

BBC A row of dairy cows in a shed looking at the cameraBBC
Many farmers in Somerset have had a tough year battling wet weather and rising fuel costs

Farmers in Somerset have told the BBC they hope the new Labour government will increase spending in agriculture and simplify post-Brexit admin.

Many have lost crops due to the wet weather this year, while prices for animal feed and supplies have gone up.

The National Farmers' Union has called on the government to increase the agricultural budget by £2bn.

The government has promised to "restore trust and stability", bringing in a new deal for farmers.

Arable farmer David Sedgman in front of a green agricultural vehicle
Arable farmer David Sedgman said there is too much "red tape and needless bureaucracy" in farming

Arable tenant famer David Sedgman, who farms 540 acres of land near Somerton, said the new Environmental Land Management Scheme had created more bureaucracy and red tape.

It replaced EU subsidies when the UK left Europe, but its application guidelines are nearly 500 pages long.

Mr Sedgeman said: "When I started farming, my office work took half an afternoon a month. Now it takes half an afternoon a day".

Farmer Ed Simmonds smiling at the camera standing in a field of sheep
Livestock farmer and veterinary surgeon Ed Simmonds said this year's Autumn Budget is probably the most important of his lifetime

Ed Simmonds is a livestock farmer and veterinary surgeon near Clevedon in North Somerset.

He said: "I think this October is the most important budget of my lifetime.

"Farming really needs some direction.

"It needs to know what is the most important thing this government wants from us, be that food, energy or something else."

Close up of juicy strawberries
Former strawberry farmer Richard Winter said the new government needs to invest in farmers and the retention of vital skills

Richard Winter said his family sold their strawberry farm near Bridgwater two years ago to a housing developer, when it became too much of a hassle to run.

He said if the prime minister wants farming to succeed, "he needs to put some money into the retention of the skills and people in it".

Cow looking at the camera
Farmers are concerned that the agricultural budget may be cut when the Labour government reveals its first budget at the end of October

A government report recently confirmed there had been a £358m underspend in the agricultural budget under the Conservative government across the past three years.

The National Farmers' Union is calling on the new Labour government to increase it by £2bn.

David Exwood, the union's deputy president, has been lobbying MPs at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool this week to support the sector.

He said: "We're pleased with the engagement, but it is still words and what we want is action."

Mr Exwood said there has been talk about cutting the agricultural budget.

"We're very clear it needs to increase," he said.

Tractor and combine harvester at work in a Somerset field
The government says it will restore trust and stability in farming by introducing a new deal for farmers

A Defra spokesperson said: "This government will restore trust and stability in the sector by introducing a new deal for farmers to boost rural economic growth, strengthen Britain’s food security and improve the environment.

“We will optimise schemes and grants in an orderly way, ensuring they produce the right outcomes for all farmers, while delivering food security and nature recovery in a just and equitable way.”

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves will reveal the Autumn budget on October 30.

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