North Shropshire MP braves the rain at top one-day agricultural show
North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has praised the organisers and exhibitors of the Oswestry Show, after spending the day there visiting stalls and talking all things farming.
The show was hit by very wet weather but was still a success story.
Mrs Morgan spoke to representatives of the National Farmers Union, large companies including ABP, TG Davies and Lloyd’s Animal Feeds and a number of other local agricultural businesses and farmers .
Several issues were raised by farmers at the show, including with the Australia and New Zealand trade deal, which they say has harmed British interests on beef, lamb, and dairy – as well as incoming trade deals with Mexico and Chile.
Mrs Morgan said: “The Oswestry Show is a brilliant celebration of our farming and agricultural community. I had a great time dodging the rain, watching the sheep shearing contest, and talking all things farming going round the stalls, and it was lovely to see so many there despite the wet weather.
“Talking to farmers and agricultural businesses, it’s again been made clear that there is a lot of concern over the Government’s selling out of farmers on foreign trade deals.
“Trade deals that lack proper scrutiny with Chile, Mexico, and Australia and New Zealand are making life harder for British farmers with lower-quality foreign goods undercutting prices.
“The show was a fantastic example of how hard our farmers work and how much we need to take their concerns seriously, with a serious strategy rooted in food production at the heart of DEFRA policy.”
