Farm First scheme call to get young people into farming

Ministers must set up a Farm First scheme, modelled after the Teach First initiative, to drive more people into agricultural careers, the opposition party said.

The Lib Dems, who published a new food security plan on Thursday, warned of an “impending crisis and rural brain drain”, pointing to the latest official workforce statistics which show only five per cent of farmers are under 35.

The party wants a two-year salaried training programme to promote agricultural careers, open to 1,000 people each year with relevant degrees.

What qualifies as a “relevant degree” appears to be up for debate, according to the Lib Dems, and would be subject to consultation with the Department for Education and industry body the Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH).

The ultimate aim of the Lib Dem proposal is to give people a financial incentive to go into a farming career and help support the sector’s long-term future.

The party estimates it would cost £60m a year, pointing to the similar costs of the Teach First programme.

Funding would come from one of the tax-raising measures the Lib Dems have suggested to the Government: a windfall tax on big banks or hiking the Digital Services Tax.

Lib Dem environment spokesman Tim Farron said: “It is utterly shameful that one in five children are living in food poverty, and our farming communities are being pushed to the brink of extinction.

“Liberal Democrats are calling for a fundamental cultural shift in our attitude towards farming. Our Farm First scheme would treat food security with the seriousness it deserves, finally giving young people the training and incentive they need to choose farming.

“By ignoring this impending crisis and rural brain drain, they are severing the lifeline of our domestic food supply. Britain is not secure unless its food supply is secure.”

The Lib Dems have in recent days criticised ministers over plans for inheritance tax on family farms.