Davey calls for £1bn farming lifeline and urgent Bluetongue taskforce to protect British food security

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey and Environment Spokesperson Tim Farron MP used a visit to a Cumbrian farm to demand an urgent £1 billion injection into British agriculture. The party warned that the nation faces a mounting food security crisis driven by an accelerating Bluetongue virus outbreak and a "fundamentally broken" farm payment system.  
​During discussions with local farmers and the National Farmers' Union (NFU), the Liberal Democrats highlighted what they termed a critical policy failure: England remains the sole country in Europe where agricultural payments fail to actively incentivize food production. Tracing the issue back to the previous Conservative administration's 2020 reforms, the party argued that shifting away from basic subsidies has left domestic food supplies dangerously vulnerable to climate shocks and international conflicts.  

​Alongside the financial package, the party is urging the Government to establish a dedicated rapid taskforce. Modelled to prioritize and streamline Bluetongue vaccinations, the proposed group aims to prevent catastrophic livestock losses, movement restrictions, and culls that are currently threatening the sector.  
​Highlighting the gravity of the situation, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:
​"British farmers are facing a terrible perfect storm this year. The Bluetongue outbreak is devastating our livestock sector, yet farmers are being left to navigate this crisis without the fundamental backing of their own government. We need a Bluetongue taskforce in place immediately. It is frankly an outrage that England is the only country in Europe where the farm payments system fails to support food production. My party would solve this by committing an additional £1 billion funding for farmers. [Burnham] has already shown he does not understand our rural communities, but they cannot wait for Whitehall to wake up."
  
​Echoing these concerns, Liberal Democrat Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson Tim Farron MP added:
​"The current system is entirely detached from the reality of farming. While our European and UK neighbours use their agricultural budgets to secure their food supply, English farmers are being hung out to dry during one of the worst livestock health crises in recent memory. This is the Conservative legacy—they stripped away support for food production and left our farmers uniquely exposed, and the Labour government has done nothing to fix it. By failing to support food production directly, the Government is not just abandoning farmers, they are jeopardising the food security of the entire nation."
  

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