00:00Sun shining down on this farm in Tunbridge, but its owner Duncan Pearce says the budget
00:05has cast a shadow over the farming industry.
00:09It felt like a missed opportunity. I think, you know, the Prime Minister in recent days
00:16and weeks has been talking a lot about food security, being national security, and it
00:24just didn't feel like in this budget there was any kind of understanding of how we might
00:32improve the prospects of our domestic farming.
00:36Kent has over 2,700 farms and small holdings, and support for farmers in the budget included
00:42suspending import tariffs on fertilisers and continuing price cuts on red diesel until July
00:48next year.
00:49The cost of diesel for a tractor like this one at the moment is at least 110p per litre.
00:56Now with the new measures announced in the budget, this will reduce by about 3.7p per litre.
01:03But farmers like Duncan say that in the grand scheme of things, this won't really touch the
01:08sides.
01:09Costs and the inputs in farming keep going up. But unfortunately, the prices that we can
01:17get for our goods, that hasn't improved. So it's really just squeezed us even tighter.
01:25So, I'm afraid to say I don't think it has provided any breathing space.
01:29The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has said the budget recognises that
01:35food security is national security and that they will continue to support farmers to put
01:40food on our tables, keep our countryside thriving and protect the environment for the future.
01:45However, while Duncan says he understands that the government is facing pressure from all
01:50areas, he says farmers were hoping this year's budget would include more measures to restore
01:56their confidence.
01:57There are enormous needs, but the government has to recognise that this is a particular time
02:04time and a particular moment in food and farming where we are finally balanced. And it could
02:13go either way. So some policy support and some targeted financial support. Now is the time
02:22for that to happen.
02:23As costs continue to rise, farmers here in the Garden of England say that they too need space
02:29to breathe and grow. Sophie Denny for KMTV in Tunbridge.
02:34Thank you very much.
