The Cheshire Show is a world away from Westminster – but between the displays of agricultural machinery, the pony club races and the pens of Britain’s finest cattle, we’ve smuggled our hefty parliamentary bench into an industry at the mercy of climate change and politics.
In the seat of power, in a sheep pen in a far corner of the program, Ruth Howard, a ruminant nutritionist, laments the rising price of pet food. “In the last two years in particular, we have seen massive increases,” she says.
“I would say that about two or three years ago our price for a compound feed would have been around £200 per tonne. Last winter we saw the price skyrocket to £400.
“Our motto is to feed the animals that feed the nation and we need support to be able to do that.
“The subsidies that exist have helped to soften the blow for the housewife in her shopping cart. Without this and without support for agriculture, the cost of living crisis will only get worse.”
The agricultural budget is a common topic of conversation. Sheep farmer Richard Gate says: “Subsidies are given to us and there is a misperception that they are for the farmer and they are not. It’s to help farmers produce cheaper food for the general public.”
In response to the release of party manifestos, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) expressed concern that, although the Conservative The Party has committed to increasing the agricultural budget by £1 billion over the next parliament, the Work The Party has not yet clearly committed to a budget.
Rachel Hallos, vice-president of the NFU, told Sky News: “This concerns us. We need to know what kind of budget will be allocated to agriculture.
“It’s that simple. I think the devil is in the details and there don’t seem to be many details.”
Vice President of the National Farmers Union, Rachel Hallos
Labor says in its manifesto that “food security is national security” and promises to “defend British agriculture”, with the goal that half of all food purchased in the public sector is purchased locally.
At the Cheshire Show, we met dairy farmer Ray Brown, who recently spoke to the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and labor leader Sir Keir Starmer. He was impressed with their understanding of the issues.
Dairy farmer Ray Brown (center) with colleagues
“We are very, very dependent on imported food,” he said. “And we just need to look at recent events around the world. It’s certainly made us think about food security.”
He warns that some environmental schemes linked to government payments to farmers are forcing them to stop using good agricultural land.
Brown says: “The main problem is for the government to think about the policies it is putting in place, making sure that we can, firstly, feed everyone and create environmental schemes that make sense, use areas where we can’t grow food, in rather than giving up land, which is privileged land for food production.”
Andrew Dutton, of Cheshire Farm Machinery, says his sales are down this year due to a wet spring which damaged harvest and production. He says farmers don’t have the confidence to invest.
“We need more support for our farmers. We need to support British farming. We need to buy local, buy British. Farmers need some confidence in the future that they will get the funding they need.”
Andrew Dutton, Cheshire Agricultural Machinery
Held in Tatton, the Cheshire Show takes place in a safe Conservative constituency once controlled by Chancellor George Osborne. It is unlikely that the red rosettes on the prize bulls will be worn by the winners of this constituency on election night, but there is uncertainty.
Dutton says: “I’m still on the bench, really?”
He pats the green cushions of the House of Commons chair. “Personally, I’ve voted Conservative all my life. But no one is offering what I want at the moment.”
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A woman passing by wearing pants says, “I’m voting Reform, and a lot of my friends are voting Reform,” but she decides not to sit down to tell us more.
We did, however, manage to speak to two knights fresh from a joust, dressed as knights, in the main arena. Both come from Tory-held rural seats in the Midlands. Holding an axe, Sam Conway of the Knights of Nottingham says he traditionally votes Conservative but wants “clarity and honesty”.
He adds: “I don’t feel like there’s been anything like that so far. I don’t feel like anyone has come up with clear policies. We see a lot of political bickering.”
Sam Conway and Mark Lacey, righteous of the Knights of Nottingham
Sam’s fellow knight, Mark Lacey, leans forward on his sword and adds, “It’s time for change and we’ll see what happens. And I’m glad that will change.”
“I’ve lived in a blue area my whole life, but let’s change. Let’s see what someone else does.”
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On our journey across Britain – to Cornwall, Gloucester, Luton, Southall, Kent, Leicester and now Cheshire – there is a lot of indecision. The timid Conservatives appear extremely timid while Labor voters question whether their vote will bring about the changes they want.
The farming community certainly wants more reassurance from Starmer, but it also feels that this area, which is not normally an electoral battleground for the Labor Party, is open to some form of change. And if Labor manages to win a seat like Tatton, it would be a deadly blow to the hearts of its rivals.
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