As part of his plan to champion local farmers, Stuart Anderson MP was delighted to meet with a delegation of uplands farmers from the National Farmers' Union (NFU) on their recent trip to Parliament.
Uplands farmers, which employ a quarter of the country's agricultural workforce, are custodians of our natural environment. South Shropshire is proudly home to more than 1,500 businesses in the agricultural sector.
This represents 27.4% of all businesses in the constituency of South Shropshire, based on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) most recent Inter Departmental Business Register.
Since his election, Stuart has been pleased to meet many farmers in South Shropshire and to welcome many delegations of farmers to Parliament.
Most recently, Stuart welcomed the representatives from the NFU Uplands Groups, who presented MPs with their vision for the future of the uplands.
Their report underscores the integral role they play in protecting the integrity of areas such as the Shropshire Hills, which covers most of my constituency and has been officially designated as a National Landscape.
However, Stuart is concerned that a third of uplands farmers have struggled to access the government’s farming support schemes. This includes the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), which rewards farmers for adopting and maintaining sustainable farming practices.
Now, research has shown that more than half of farmers have considered leaving the industry in the past year due to heightened financial burdens.
This is according to McCain Foods’ inaugural Farmdex Report, which has also found that only 4% believe current government support is adequate.
Meanwhile, the study found only a third of British farmers made no profit in past year. In Parliament, Stuart has already urged Ministers to publish details on the reformed SFI offer that was promised after the previous scheme unexpectedly closed in March 2025.
Stuart has now taken up the concerns of uplands farmers with the Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds. In his letter, Stuart has urged Ministers to ensure that uplands farmers are fully engaged in the development of future farming schemes.
In his letter, Stuart added that the reformed SFI must ensure options for upland landscapes and farming methods. Stuart has said this is vital to boost national food security.
Meanwhile, Stuart continues to firmly oppose the Family Farms Tax which will implement damaging changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) for Britain's family owned farms.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
"As part of my plan to champion local farmers, I was pleased to meet a group of uplands farmers who visited Parliament as part of a delegation from the National Farmers' Union, which has unveiled its new Uplands Vision. Uplands farmers are custodians of our natural environment. However, many of them have struggled to access the government's farming support schemes. Now, research has shown that more than half of farmers have considered leaving the industry in the past year due to heightened financial burdens. I have urged Ministers to ensure that uplands farmers can access future support schemes, including the new Sustainable Farming Incentive. The government must build on schemes initiated by the last to help farmers in South Shropshire and beyond boost national food security."
