Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst, Member of Parliament for Solihull West and Shirley, visited Woods Farm in Shirley along with a representative from the National Farmers Union (NFU).
Woods Farm grows impressive Christmas trees. The farm has some well-known customers including Downing Street, Covent Garden, and Albert Square of Eastenders.
Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst MP said:
“I would like to thank Mr Gilbert of Woods Farm for hosting me. It was a useful opportunity to discuss their farming and business operations, but also to hear the challenges they face.
Overregulating our farmers is putting our great agricultural sector under unnecessary pressure. The new Employment Rights Bill is also going to provide extra difficulties for recruiting seasonal agricultural workers, a staple practice for farmers across the world.
The Government’s stance on agriculture and our countryside is alarming. In the King’s Speech, which set out the priorities of this Parliament, the Government failed to mention farming and food security.
In Parliament I will be working on behalf of our agricultural sector to highlight the importance of our hard-working farmers and the role they play in our nation's food security. The Government needs to back British food production, and we need policies that will allow the production of food in the countryside for many generations to come.”
