Communities have been left 'hollowed out' by closure of farming businesses, says shadow Defra secretary

Mr McMahon said that the closure of such businesses can lead to neighbouring communities being left without public services.

Speaking to The Yorkshire Post on the third day of the Great Yorkshire Show, Mr McMahon said: “Since before the pandemic, 7,000 farming businesses have gone out of business.

“What that means in terms of practice is that communities have been hollowed out. People are leaving, and for public services, that means that the role of GP surgery roles reduces.

“When the foundational jobs reduce in an area and people move out, the primary school also becomes unviable, the local shop becomes unviable.

“So as much as this issue is about food security and the economy, in the end it's about people in the community, and I think that's where the Conservatives are missing a trick.”

Because of these issues, Mr McMahon noted, Labour are calling for an extension to farming payments to support farmers through a “difficult, transitional period”, aiming to recognise issues including the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) spokesperson said, however, that they “did not recognise” the figures cited by Mr McMahon on farming business closures.

They added: “We are committed to supporting our farming and rural communities, by offering more opportunities for new entrants to access land and establish successful businesses, and in the coming months we will see the results of the New Entrant pilots.

“We have also provided comprehensive details of our new farming schemes which have something on offer for every type of farmer, which will allow them to produce food profitably and sustainably, including £600 million in grants for equipment.”

Mr McMahon also spoke about the trade-off between using land for farming or energy production.

His comments follow a discussion which took place on Tuesday at the Great Yorkshire Show, in which National Farmers Union president Minette Batters discussed the issue of farm land being repurposed for the production of solar energy.

She said: “Ultimately, we only have a finite amount of land, and we are going to have to think carefully and strategically about where we are going to produce our energy.”

Mr McMahon said that the UK must have a “clear view” about how it wants to use its natural resources, adding that land is a “very important part of that”. “There will always be pressure points around the natural environment, housing developments, physical infrastructure and transport,” he said.

“You’re always going to have those pressure points, and now the future additional pressure of renewables is showing. But you’ve got to make sure within that that you have an adequate supply of food production land.”

Speaking at Tuesday’s discussion, minister of state at Defra, Mark Spencer, said: “I accept the challenge that large-scale solar is taking prime agricultural land, and that can't be good for our long-term food security.

“I think food production needs to be the core purpose of agriculture in the UK. We want to help support farmers to produce food.”

Mr Spencer did not feel a “top down” strategy, in which the Government bans solar on farmland, was the right approach.

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