Malham farmer, Neil Heseltine on why MP's need to 'back British farming' when voting on the Agriculture Bill this week.

We love the family farm and what it stands for and how it fits into our rich rural history.

As I write, a landmark piece of farming legislation – the Agriculture Bill – is coming back to the House of Commons for its final journey before becoming law.

Now more than ever, we need to support our British farmers.

Yorkshire and The Humber is home to over 12,000 farm businesses.

We have a rich history of farming, from cows and sheep grazing in the Dales, to fields of barley and golden wheat in the Vale of York.

Many of the local family farms here have been part of the fabric of our rural communities for generations.

I am a proud Yorkshire farmer and I have been lucky to be part of this community myself, so I would love to see our strong traditions upheld for years to come.

Now, we do not always get it right in this country, but our farmers do produce great quality ingredients for some of our cherished local favourites, like Yorkshire curd tart or Wensleydale cheese.

The prospect of our hard-working farmers struggling for business due to being undercut by cheaper exports from overseas, is a worrying possibility.

Future trade deals could undermine our farmers and lead to much more low-quality food swamping supermarket shelves.

The UK is currently negotiating new trade deals with the United States of America and Australia – two large food exporters.

Farmers in both these countries can produce food under lower environmental, animal welfare and food safety standards.

We usually hear about chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-treated beef, but this also includes high use of pesticides on crops and the cramped conditions of intensive poultry and cattle units.

As a nation, we should be proud of the high farming and food standards that our Yorkshire farmers love to work to.

Without them, we would not have the same breathtaking countryside, coupled with our world-beating food and produce.

That is a good enough reason to ensure that safeguarding these standards is enshrined in law, so that farmers can continue to champion these values.

That is why I am calling on our Members of Parliament to support the Lord Grantchester amendment to the Agriculture Bill that will do just that.

The amendment by Labour’s Lord Grantchester would require all food imported as part of trade deals to match the UK’s standards.

The amendment was voted through, defeating the Government by 95 votes.

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Thank you

James Mitchinson