As the parliamentary candidate for Westmorland and Lonsdale, I spend a lot of time talking to local people about their concerns. After hearing feedback from farmers here in our constituency, I wanted to reach out to share some important work the government is doing to support the industry.
In 2021, the Conservative government launched the UK's first-ever Action Plan for Animal Welfare.
This plan aims to improve the welfare and conservation of animals both domestically and internationally.
We've made good progress on delivering the measures outlined in the plan, but there's still more to be done.
One issue that needs to be addressed is the problem of dangerous and out-of-control dogs attacking farm animals.
To help tackle this issue, the Conservative government is supporting The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to enhance existing legislation by extending legal protections, giving police broader enforcement powers (, and including camelids such as alpacas and llamas in the definition of livestock.)
This will help to deter harm to livestock and protect farmers and rural communities.
In addition, the Conservative government is providing £168 million of financial support for farmers and supporting the Buy Local campaign.
I also encourage everyone to support our farmers and food producers and deliver on our plan for sustainable farming, matching EU funding.
Unfortunately, Labour voted against the Agriculture Act and opposed the removal of old-style top-down EU funds, which shows that they would take our farming sector back to square one.
If you want to discuss my plan to support the farming industry or any other issue, please feel free to get in touch with me at [email protected] or visit my website www.mattyjackman.uk
Yours sincerely,
Matty
Photo Sources: NFU Flyer.
