For areas like ours, agriculture plays a central role in our community and forms the bedrock of our local economy. We cannot ignore the challenges encountered by farmers and growers, because when they succeed, we all succeed.
So when criminal gangs tear across crop fields in the barbaric pursuit of hares, they not only terrorise our farmers and damage their livelihood, they impact us all.
Through Operation Galileo, Lincolnshire Police are fighting back. At our urgent meeting last week, the Lincolnshire Police & Crime Commissioner, Marc Jones, assured me that the Rural Crime Action Team has access to the most up-to-date equipment, including dogs, drones, and helicopter support when required. So far, the team have seized 14 dogs, arrested 11 criminals, and taken 3 vehicles containing equipment ranging from dog leads to night vision devices.
At a national level, legislation has been strengthened, providing new powers to courts and creating two new specific criminal offences to penalise hare coursers.
Crucially, to help the police do their job, you should report all cases of hare coursing by calling 999 if the crime is in progress, or otherwise via 101 or the online form on the police website.
Some challenges require a different response. Last Tuesday I met with the Chief Veterinary Officer for England, Dr Christine Middlemiss, to discuss the current trend of avian flu across Great Britain.
All cases recorded are of the H5N1 strain, which is highly unlikely to infect, or spread between humans. The source of this outbreak has been identified as migratory wild birds, with similar outbreaks occurring across Europe and North America. Dr Middlemiss explained that there have been 129 recorded cases of avian flu nationally, with East Anglia the worst affected.
While I am glad that we currently have no cases of avian flu recorded in the constituency, we do have areas which sit within official surveillance zones. Farmers and birdkeepers within them abide by strict biosecurity rules to prevent cases and further contagion.
In order to mitigate the financial impact upon farmers, I am happy to see that the Government has taken steps to improve compensation for those who have recorded cases amongst their livestock. Farmers now have greater certainty earlier on, are paid more quickly, and should receive a larger sum than in previous years.
But we must also support our farmers and growers to seize the future, and take advantage of cutting-edge research within the UK.
This is why I was so eager to visit Barclays Eagle Lab at University of Lincoln’s Institute of Agrifood Technology. This revolutionary centre right on our doorstep allows new tech-focussed businesses to develop their ideas alongside the farming community.
Agri-tech can help us address the biggest challenges facing the farming industry, from reducing its impact on our climate, to using robotics to increase productivity and reduce our dependence on pesticides. I am excited that it will be farmers in our area who lead the way.
