British food promotion budget cuts defy Milibands local food message - Huhne

5.58.20pm GMT Wed 29th Nov 2006

Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Chris Huhne MP

Ahead of tomorrow's flagship Government conference Food and Farming: Connecting a new generation, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Chris Huhne MP has warned that British farmers cannot wait for a new generation to receive support.

He challenged David Miliband to answer:

1. Why more farms are closing now than at any time since WWII?

2. How farmers can trust Defra after the single farm payment fiasco?

3. Why Defra is cutting the budgets of British food promotional bodies, Food from Britain and the Meat & Livestock Commission?

Chris Huhne said "If David Miliband wants more local food produced in Britain, why on earth is he cutting the food promotion budget? This is another example of a Defra minister saying one thing and doing another. It is time that Defra practised what it preaches.

"Explaining the benefits of local food to a new generation of consumers is welcome. But this will be too late for the current generation of farmers suffering the double whammy of late farm payments and Defra budget cuts.

"Local food is healthier, tastier and greener than processed imports. Yet instead of trying to cut food miles, Defra is cutting the very spending that should help reduce them."