Mary Creagh: There is good news for the countryside, despite the coalition

The Great Yorkshire Show showcases the best of our farming heritage and growing specialist food economy. This region enjoys the largest concentration of food and drink businesses in the UK which contributes £1.7bn to the economy. Food is an important business, as a walkabout at the showground reveals. In Wakefield, we have our famous rhubarb and liquorice festivals, award-winning sausages and restaurant at Blacker Hall Farm, and fantastic beer from Ossett and Clark’s breweries.

This is an historic year for Britain with the Diamond Jubilee and Olympic and Paralympic Games. These Olympians have overcome huge obstacles in their lives to become elite athletes. They are extraordinary individuals who give hope and inspiration to us all.

Welcome to Yorkshire has boosted tourism during a time when many other regions have struggled with the downturn. They will be launching their first ever coastal campaign at the Show to entice visitors to the award winning beaches on our coast. Government funding for Welcome to Yorkshire stopped in April. Many small and medium-sized businesses depend on tourism so we urgently need a Plan B to get the economy moving again.

The Great Yorkshire Show takes place during tough times for rural communities and businesses. This out of touch Government has made the wrong choices on the economy, choking off growth and the fragile recovery. This is a recession made in Downing Street, and families and businesses are being hit hard across the rural economy. Cuts to farm-gate prices mean that dairy farmers are being paid less for milk than it costs to produce it. This is not sustainable. We will be taking part in the NFU Dairy Summit in Westminster tomorrow and it is clear this is a major concern for Yorkshire’s 2,000 dairy farmers.

Ministers need to make sure the voluntary code on dairy contracts works for farmers, or bring in regulation to fix the dysfunctional supply chain. I am backing the NFU’s call for stronger producer organisations to allow farmers to group together and negotiate with suppliers.

There is a cost of living crisis spreading across our towns and villages. Living costs in rural communities are already 10-20 per cent higher than in urban areas. There has been a massive growth in food poverty as families struggle with higher living costs, lower wages and welfare changes. FareShare West Yorkshire provides over 238,000 meals a year through its network of local charities and foodbanks in the region. Yet one of the first things the Tory-led government did was to abolish the Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales. The board guarantees minimum pay and conditions for 12,500 rural workers in Yorkshire. Axing it will take £9m a year out of England’s rural economy through lost sick and holiday pay alone. The last thing we need is a race to the bottom in wages. This will take money out of the rural High Street, local shops and pubs.

Rural bus users have also been hit by higher fares. In January, FirstGroup announced a seven per cent increase in fares in North and West Yorkshire blaming the Government’s 20 per cent cut to the bus service operators’ grant.

The Government has taken half a billion pounds out of local transport funding nationwide leading to cuts in rural services and higher fares for passengers. Metro, West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, are introducing Quality Contracts to co-ordinate bus services which is good news for West Yorkshire. Labour’s policy review is looking at how we give greater powers over trains and buses to communities and make public transport accountable to people.

The countryside needs a government that is on their side, that helps promote rural growth and protects the quality of community life. On a brighter note, last week, the Government completed its U-turn on forests when they announced that England’s forests will stay in public hands. Over half a million people signed a petition last year against the Government’s plans to sell off the forests demonstrating the public’s huge a theffection for our amazing countryside. The forest report marks a new beginning for our woods, and I look forward to working on a cross-party basis to protect biodiversity, create more woodland and secure access for future generations to enjoy.