A future Tory government would look sympathetically on the polytunnels issue. That is according to Tory politician John Hayes, speaking at the Re:fresh conference last week.
Hayes noted that ‘the British landscape has always been artificial’, and while pointing out that Conservative Party policy was still in the planning stage, said that a Tory government would attempt to ‘restore the production chain-balance by favouring primary and secondary producers’.
“Changing technology has always led to changing landscapes”, the MP for South Holland pointed out. “We therefore require a more measured response.”
There should be a balance between technology and convenience, he commented, suggesting that Britain’s food security destiny lies in a mix of optimal solutions from both the ‘green’ and biotech arenas.
Hayes was formerly front-bench spokesman on agriculture, but has since moved to the skills portfolio. Of the debate on foreign labour, he would not be drawn to a firm statement, suggesting only that there should be a ‘grown-up debate’ on the matter.
Among other priorities, any future Tory government would: reduce farm bureacracy; support food entrepreneurism and innovation; improve local-sourcing in the public sector; and boost rural Britain in the government’s priorities list.
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