LAST week, all Cornwall councillors were invited by the National Farmers Union (NFU) to a farm visit hosted by the Whell family at Leyonne, near Fowey.

Five cabinet members, who have responsibilities for different parts of the council attended, which was a pleasant surprise as they all have extremely busy schedules, and were joined by several other members.

I have known Bridget Whell, now chair of Cornwall NFU, since I relief milked for her father near Dobwalls some 40 years ago. She spoke about the challenges facing farmers, which is timely as the Cornwall Council Scrutiny Panel has just launched an enquiry to review the 2018 Strategy for County Farms, which covers over 10,000 acres.

Bridget spoke about how the farm is run on a low cost system, utilising grass for the spring calving herd, so peak production is in the summer when demand for fresh milk in Cornwall is at its highest, due to the influx of visitors.

She told us Labour’s Inheritance tax on agriculture was forcing family farmers to put funds aside to pay this tax rather than investing in future proofing the farm with new technology, more efficient equipment and, in her case ,slurry management.

Bridget had looked into providing six months slurry storage, but the lengthy planning process which requires costly environmental impact assessments and other documents was too much of a challenge, so instead opted for a simpler option which will provide four months storage, but not maximise the nutrients the herd produces by spreading at the optimum time.

In what was a very informative visit, Bridget also told us that educational advisers were not promoting careers in agriculture – and that some pupils were being bullied as they come from a farming family. We have a role as councillors to promote this career, especially as we need resilient sustainable food production here in the Duchy.

A Cornwall council tenant, who had progressed from a 75 acre farm to a 200 acre farm on the estate, told us he is now farming an additional 300 acres on various tenancies and partnerships, which he would be unable to do if without the core farm as a base. County farms provides opportunities for young people to farm in their own right which they would not otherwise have

I am aware Ben Maguire, Liberal Democrat MP for North Cornwall, has challenged Labour about their inheritance tax reforms, writing to former Farming Minster Daniel Zeichner, pressing him to support the NFU backed ‘clawback’ mechanism. He also asked him to support Cornwall’s upland farmers who are playing a vital role in both sustaining livestock production and delivering our national biodiversity targets.

Farming is one of the largest industries in Cornwall, I was fortunate to get the tenancy of a county farm when I was young, and often joke that farmers should be valued as we produce food and manage our landscapes, which must be important!

Liberal Democrats on Cornwall Council will protect the county farms estate, and help to support nature recovery and climate change resilience in the Duchy.