Support For Warrington Farmers

At yesterday’s Full Council meeting I praised the role that farmers and farming families play in supplying locally grown food.

Warrington has 126 farms working 21,390 acres of land; these businesses support hundreds of families in Warrington, providing jobs, food and materials with minimal “food miles” for local people and businesses, as well as bringing income into the area. 15,760 acres of this land is owned directly by the people working it, who could be significantly affected by changes to the industry currently proposed by the Government.

I asked the council to explain what they are doing to support this key industry through what is a disruptive time for the farming community and proposed that support is offered to them by arranging meetings with local Councillors and MPs. This could be followed by a regular forum for this underrepresented part of our local economy, if they would find this helpful. In response, Council Leader Hans Mundry supported the proposed meetings.

I also suggested highlighting the work of our farmers with a summer event in the Town Hall grounds as it would be a great opportunity to showcase their produce and the role they play in supporting local employment and business.