On the day that Rishi Sunak made an appearance at the NFU conference in Birmingham, Sarah Dyke, the Liberal Democrat MP for Somerton and Frome, slammed the Conservative Government's farming record, citing everything from the level of food waste caused by staff shortages to the undercutting of farmers in the New Zealand and Australia trade deals.

 Sarah Dyke, Liberal Democrat MP for Somerton and Frome, said: "This is a last-ditch attempt by a desperate Prime Minister to woo the farming community, which the Conservatives have taken for granted for years.

 "The Conservatives have failed farmers in so many ways. In the first half of 2022, £60m worth of fruit and vegetables went to waste just because of workforce shortages. The Government's "Seasonal Worker Visa" scheme only allows farms to recruit 45,000 workers from abroad, but according to the NFU, farmers say they need nearly double that.

 "All farmers saw their Basic Payments cut by at least 5% in December 2021 and may see more cuts due to the Government's failed rollout of the new Environmental Land Management scheme.

"Ministers promised to spend £2.4bn a year on agriculture by the end of this parliament, but Defra figures show an underspend of £110m in 2021/22 and £117m in 2022/23, meaning £227m of promised funds have not been spent.

"Then there are the New Zealand and Australia trade deals, which have undercut and undermined our farmers.

 "Only the Liberal Democrats have a real plan to support farmers and rural communities and that starts with a £1bn investment so farms can thrive and farmers can have the fair deal they deserve."