Ms Lockhart congratulated Dame Angela Eagle on her reappointment to DEFRA as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Commenting, the MP said: “I had the pleasure of meeting Dame Angela Eagle in March during her previous tenure as Minister, and I look forward to continuing a constructive working relationship, with aim of addressing the many opportunities and challenges facing the UK agri-food sector.

"I have written to request a meeting at her earliest convenience, and extended an invitation for the Secretary of State to visit my Upper Bann constituency. Upper Bann is home to one of the largest concentrations of business and industry outside Belfast, alongside a thriving agricultural and agri-food sector.

“A visit would provide an invaluable opportunity to meet farmers and growers, processors, machinery dealers and rural businesses, and to hear first-hand about both the challenges they face and the opportunities that exist.”

Carla Lockhart MP added: “Agriculture is one of our nation's most strategic industries. It underpins our food security, sustains rural communities, protects our countryside and makes a significant contribution to the UK economy. Yet confidence across the sector remains low, and there are a number of pressing issues which require urgent attention.

"Foremost amongst these is the Government's inheritance tax policy on family farms. Family farms are not simply businesses. They are homes, livelihoods and generational enterprises built over decades. These changes risk forcing families to sell productive land simply to meet a tax bill. The Treasury must reverse the policy to restore confidence and safeguard the future of family farming.

"Food security must be recognised as a genuine national priority. We cannot continue talking about resilience whilst limiting opportunities for domestic food production. The Labour Government should be supporting local producers to meet British demand, rather than paving the way for imported produce, particularly in sectors such as egg production where unnecessary planning restrictions and regulatory burdens are preventing expansion.”

The MP continued: "Farmers are also contending with rising energy costs, volatile input prices and continuing labour shortages. Government policy should be focused on improving competitiveness and encouraging investment, rather than placing further obstacles in the path of those who produce our food.

"At the same time, environmental ambitions and the drive towards Net Zero must be balanced with the need to maintain profitable, productive family farms. Farmers are already delivering significant environmental benefits and should be recognised as partners in achieving these objectives.”

Ms Lockhart also raised the continuing difficulties caused by the Protocol and Windsor Framework. She explained: “Farmers and rural businesses in Northern Ireland continue to face unnecessary bureaucracy and additional costs when moving agricultural machinery, plants, seeds, potatoes and other essential goods from Great Britain into Northern Ireland. These are movements within our own country and should not be subject to barriers that undermine the integrity of the UK's internal market.”

"Biosecurity must remain a top priority,” stressed the MP. “Illegal meat imports pose a significant threat to our livestock sector, while bovine tuberculosis continues to inflict enormous financial and emotional hardship on farming families.

“We need robust border enforcement alongside a genuinely UK-wide, science-led TB eradication strategy that combines improved cattle controls, enhanced diagnostics and appropriate wildlife intervention were supported by the evidence.”

Concluding, Carla Lockhart MP said: "I look forward to meeting the Secretary of State in the near future and hope she will accept my invitation to visit Upper Bann.



“It would be an excellent opportunity to see at first hand the strength, innovation and resilience of our agri-food sector, and to engage directly with those working tirelessly to produce the high-quality food upon which our nation and economy depends."