Agenda item
Motion A: Supporting Our Farmers in West Oxfordshire - Proposed by Councillor Liam Walker, Seconded by Councillor Alex Wilson
West Oxfordshire District Council is committed to supporting local farmers and food producers across our district. Britain has some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world, and WODC should engage and work in partnership with our poultry, arable and livestock farmers, to ensure they can continue to enhance our countryside, and contribute to our nation's food security.
Council Resolves to:
- Work to support local farmers by being sympathetic to diversification opportunities and by promoting local produce during the Back British Farming campaign week;
- Be vocal in opposing attempts to diminish the role our meat, dairy, and arable farmers play in our rural way of life;
- Provide food at Council events, where practical, which is sourced from local suppliers, including meat, fish, dairy, fruit, and vegetables;
- Work to raise awareness of the importance of shopping locally, wherever possible, taking advantage of home-grown, affordable, and nutritious food, especially through our farm shops, reducing the "food miles" on our plates and supporting our producers.
Minutes:
Councillor Liam Walker introduced the motion, which sought the Council’s commitment to support local farmers and food producers across the West Oxfordshire district. The Motion also sought to promote the engagement and emphasise partnership working between poultry and arable and livestock farmers, to ensure they could continue to enhance the countryside and contribute to UK food security.
Councillor Rosie Pearson rose to propose and introduce an amendment to the motion, which had been circulated in advance. The amendment sought to continue to engage and work in partnership with poultry, arable and livestock farmers, and with horticulturalists and agroecologists, to ensure they could continue to enhance the countryside, contribute to the nation's food security, protect and enhance biodiversity and improve soils.
Councillor Pearson thanked Councillor Liam Walker for proposing the original Motion to Council, and for their work in bringing attention to the subject matter. Councillor Rosie Pearson further highlighted that the amendment would make the Motion stronger, helping to further enhance sustainable levels of food production, soil enrichment and overall carbon reduction, as well as increasing overall income for farmers.
The amendment was not accepted by Councillor Liam Walker, who stated that they felt that the amendment negated the original motion. Councillor Walker also highlighted that the simplicity of the motion had been taken away by the amendment.
Councillor Liam Walker sought clarity from the Director of Governance as to whether the amended motion negated the original motion by means of an additional resolution, and amendments to the original resolutions. The Director of Governance stated that in their view, the amended motion did not negate the original motion.
In seconding the amended motion, Councillor Lidia Arciszewska highlighted that the amended motion would emphasise the existing partnership work was ongoing between local farmers, food producers and the Council. Councillor Arciszewska stated the importance of collaborative, partnership working with FarmED, the NorthEast Cotswold Farming Cluster, and Cotswold National Landscape. Councillor Arciszewska gave an overview of the work, which had taken place in conjunction with Oxfordshire County Council and the Environment Agency since the West Oxfordshire Alliance took office in 2022, highlighting that external and national pressures, such as the UK’s exit from the European Union, inflation and the energy crisis, were also within the reasons why an amendment to the motion was necessary, and urged members to support the amendment.
In the debate on the amended motion, members were keen to emphasise that the original motion as put, aimed to focus on local issues affecting West Oxfordshire rather than issues on a national scale. Members also stated that there seemed to be some confusion as to the point of the original motion, and highlighted that the original motion had been tabled to assist local farmers and their work.
Members also stated that there was a lack of evidence of the work undertaken to work constructively with farmers across the district, and that no reference to this had been made at any Executive or Cabinet meeting since the change of control within the Council in 2022, except for the adoption of the West Oxfordshire Food Action Plan in March 2023. Members urged the Executive to highlight work carried out so that it could be publicised more widely.
Members highlighted the work of the West Oxfordshire Food Action Plan that had recently been discussed and adopted by the Executive, and a number of members further highlighted the work of FarmED and other local partnerships, adding that the work of the UK Shared Prosperity and Rural England Prosperity funds would also go some way to helping local farmers.
Members also highlighted a rise in the amount of bureaucracy created on a national scale that was affecting both local farmers and farmers more generally, which had in turn prevented them from doing their work to the highest possible standard. Members made reference to Brexit, checks on goods at land borders, access to European Union markets, access to labour resources and seasonal farming staff, European competition, and policy hangover from the European Union. Members stated that farmers would get a much better deal if the UK were still inside the customs union.
Members also raised the importance of local food groups, local food banks and local charities, which had all played their part in ensuring that surplus food from supermarkets and other food outlets had found their way to those people who needed it the most. Members made particular reference to the ‘Chippy Larder’, adding that the ongoing Cost of Living Crisis had only escalated demand over recent months. Members also stated that the extra demand was driven by a lack of general support from central government, adding that there was a substantial increase in the number of families who were struggling to put food on the table.
A number of Members stated that they would support the amendment to the motion, as it added depth to the motion and strived to allow actions to be carried out and enhanced work to get underway.
Members also made reference to work ongoing across the County of Oxfordshire, adding that grant funding had been received to drive down levels of rural crime, which was having a severe impact on farmers being able to carry out their work in an efficient and timely fashion.
Members also highlighted health implications that were associated with the motion, adding that a reduction in general consumption of salts and sugars would be far more beneficial to the human diet then 30% reduction in the consumption of meat. Members also stated that the focus more generally should be on encouraging farmers to produce cost effective good quality foodstuffs. Members agreed that there would be both health and environmental benefits to proposals made in the amendments, but that these would be on an individual basis.
Members also highlighted that whilst the current membership of the Council did not include any farmers, previous members of the Council had undertaken work within the farming sector and members highlighted that their contribution to the Council overall was of great significance adding that it should not go forgotten.
A number of members also made reference to the ‘Get Fair About Farming’ campaign, which sought to make further progress in highlighting the work of local farmers, given the increasing monopoly that supermarkets had on food supply chains. Members also indicated that wherever possible, food should be acquired from good quality local producers which in turn would go a long way to supporting the work of local farmers within not only West Oxfordshire but across the country.
In summing up the debate on the amended motion, Councillor Rosie Pearson thanked Members for their contributions to the debate on the amended motion, and stated her disappointment in the attitude of opposition members in relation to the wider context of the amendment. Councillor Pearson highlighted the improvements made to the motion by the amendment, stating that an original resolution would set up a battle ground between those who did and did not eat meat as part of their diets. Councillor Pearson also described her surprise in that the word soil was not mentioned in the original motion, which was found to have a vital role enhancing biodiversity. Councillor Pearson summed up by stating that the Alliance were not dismissing the original motion, emphasising that the amendments to the motion which strengthen it in the round.
Having been proposed, seconded and debated, and the amendment was put to a vote. There were 28 votes in favour, 8 votes against, and 2 abstentions. The amendment was carried.
Councillor Andrew Beaney rose to state that at the time of the next General Election, West Oxfordshire would have 3 MPs rather than 1, and subsequently proposed an amendment to resolution 5 of the substantive motion, whereby the wording would state “Call on all West Oxfordshire District’s MPs to support”, rather than “Call on our MP to support”. This was seconded by Councillor Liam Walker, who accepted the amendment proposed by Councillor Beaney as the proposer of the substantive motion.
Councillor Alex Wilson, seconder of the substantive motion thanked members for their contributions to the debate, and expressed disappointment at the amendment, urging that going forward, amendments to the wording of future motions could be agreed in advance with the proposer and seconder...
The substantive motion, inclusive of the amendment to resolution 5, was put to a vote. There were 37 votes in favour, 0 votes against and 1 abstention. The vote was carried.
Council Resolved to pass the following Motion:
West Oxfordshire District Council is committed to supporting local farmers and food producers across our district. WODC will continue to engage and work in partnership with poultry, arable and livestock farmers, and with horticulturalists and agroecologists, to ensure they can continue to enhance our countryside, contribute to our nation's food security, protect and enhance biodiversity and improve our soils.
Council Resolves to:
1. Continue to work to support local farmers by developing policies, including planning policies, which are sympathetic to diversification opportunities, including market gardens and medium-scale agroecological growing, and by promoting local produce during the Back British Farming campaign week;
2. Be a well-informed voice of reason in the national conversation around diet, recognising that the National Food Strategy recommends a 30% reduction in meat consumption, but also recognising the role that non-intensive livestock can play in restoring soils and providing part of a balanced diet;
3. Provide food at Council events, where practical, which is sourced from local suppliers, including a selection of food for those who have chosen a plant-based diet, as well as good quality plant-based food as well as good quality meat, fish, dairy, fruit, and vegetables;
4. Continue to work with Good Food Oxfordshire, and implement our West Oxfordshire Food Action Plan, working with farm shops and local food businesses to shorten supply chains and look at food hubs so that local food is affordable to all, reducing the food miles on our plate and supporting our producers;
5. Call on all West Oxfordshire District MPs to support the Get Fair about Farming campaign, which demands regulations ensuring supermarkets stick to fair buying agreements, and call on the government to end the uncertainty over the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) which will replace Basic Payments, and to support farmers in the transition to more sustainable forms of agriculture.
Supporting documents:
PDF 42 KB