Star comment: Topic has to stay on the table
Food and farming were at the heart of the General Election debate when two Parliamentary big hitters visited Shropshire and Mid-Wales.
Conservative Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Liz Truss was focusing on the issue of Bovine TB yesterday while Shadow Environment Secretary Maria Eagle wanted to learn more about Telford's Food Bank at the town's Forge Retail Park.
Both were given a warm welcome and made to feel at home. But, more importantly, both were left in no doubt that voters expect action, not just words. Pre-election promises count for nothing in the long-term as local workers strive to create a buoyant economy.
The health of farms is of critical importance in Shropshire and Mid Wales. Our region's economy is disproportionately dependent on rural businesses. Bovine TB is among myriad issues that cause sleepless nights for farmers.
The price of milk, the globalisation of farming and the effects of European subsidies also present challenges.
In recent decades farms have suffered from declining outputs and falling incomes. More must be done to incentivise and support our farmers. Ministers must listen to and address the legitimate concerns of those who tend the land. After all, farmers create employment and wealth while serving as custodians of our countryside.
The visit of Labour's Shadow Secretary to Telford's Food Bank was equally welcome. The proliferation of such facilities has highlighted two very different sides to the era in which we live.
On the one hand, food banks serve to restore some faith in human nature. Many are staffed by volunteers who redistribute food that is kindly donated by Good Samaritans. However the very fact that food banks are necessary is a blight. We live in an age where a sizeable underclass exists which cannot afford to feed itself. That is a stain on the society in which we live. Food banks help those who have fallen through the net, who lack the wherewithal to look after themselves. They fulfil a most basic need: feeding the hungry.
Our national news is dominated by issues that affect affluent metropolitan areas and populous urban towns. It is important that MPs from all parties realise that rural issues are equally important. And it is important that the issues don't fall off the political agenda once the election has passed.
