Speaking at this week’s Future of Farming debate in the House of Commons, the DUP’s Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs spokesperson said:

“Madam Deputy Speaker, I have often spoken about my deep connection to farming—it is in my DNA. I love the rural way of life, and for 40 years, I have been part of a local farming community that values hard work, resilience, and responsibility for the land.
 
“My grandfather always said, “If the farmer isn’t doing well in this country, no one is.” He isn’t a prophet, he isn’t Oliver from Accounts, nor does he hold any of the grand titles or credentials so often revered in this place.

“What he is, is a farmer—one who understands, all too well, that agriculture is the cornerstone of our economy. When that cornerstone is broken, removed or chipped away at, the consequences are dire: our economy weakens, our rural communities suffer, and our food security is placed at risk.”
 
The MP continued: “Trust in politics is hard-earned but easily broken. So, when our farming community heard promises from the then Shadow Prime Minister at the National Farmers’ Union Conference in 2023, they could be forgiven for placing a certain degree of ‘trust’ in this government. Farmers could relate to the Prime Minister when he said, and I quote: 

“Losing a farm is not like losing any other business—it can’t come back... You deserve better.”
 
“He went on to speak about a ‘genuine partnership’ and said: “We can’t have farmers struggling.”
 
“He claimed farmers deserved ‘a government that listens, stability and certainty’. Sir Keir Starmer spoke of rolling up his sleeves to support British farmers. 

“Well, those words ring hollow, don’t they?”
 
Ms Lockhart added: “The October Budget was a defining moment in this Parliament’s history, delivering the biggest hammer blow to farmers in a generation. The ‘Family Farm Tax Grab,’ as it is now known, is an existential threat to the future of farming; And for those who do survive that blow, they will be strangled by the government’s other disastrous policies. 

“Consider the closure of the UK Sustainable Farming Initiative this week. A new tax on double-cab pickups—a lifeline vehicle for many farmers—will hit in April 2025. Add to that tax increases on fertilisers, a hike in National Insurance contributions, cuts to Business Property Relief, and an ever-growing burden of environmental rules, regulations, and requirements. 

“To add insult to injury, we know that while British farmers struggle, foreign farmers are receiving £536 million from the UK aid budget. British taxpayers’ money is funding low-carbon agriculture in countries like Brazil—the 11th richest nation in the world—and Kenya, while our own farmers face crisis.”
 
The Upper Bann MP asked: “Madam Deputy Speaker, what good is so-called environmental progress if we end up importing more food from abroad—food produced to lower standards, with a far greater carbon footprint than what we can grow here at home?
 
“Farmers are not the enemy of environmental progress—they are its greatest ally. They are the custodians of our land and have been practising sustainability long before politicians started lecturing them on it. “
 
Concluding, Carla Lockhart MP added: “This debate is rightly focused on the future—but without urgent action, there will be no future for many of our farming families. For generations, they have fed this nation and been stewards of our land, yet today they face relentless threats.
 
“They are being stripped of their land through a stealth death tax and battered by policies that punish rather than support. In politics, there comes a time when doing the right thing must rise above party loyalty. Today, I urge Honourable and Right Honourable Members—especially those on the government benches—to find their voice, summon their resolve, and fight back.
 
“Fight back for UK farming! Fight back for your rural constituents! Fight back for the men and women who feed us, for the circular economy that depends on farming, and for the businesses whose survival is tied to agriculture.”