2025: Week 20 - a few days off!

This week, as the house is in recess, I’ve taken a few days to rest and spend with family, I need to remind them who I am!

That’s not to say that things have ground to a halt, my team in the constituency office are still working hard so please continue to contact me if you need assistance with anything.

Last week I met with representatives from the Environment Agency to discuss the drainage and maintenance issues of the by-wash at Teigngrace, and also the importance of managing this whole area appropriately and proactively to ensure the future resilience for Newton Abbot.  We walked the area so that they could see first hand the issues faced by this environment, I find it is always best to see areas like that rather than just talk about them in meeting rooms.  The conversations were positive and the EA are on board with maintaining this area for the future.

I was also invited by the NFU to a meeting of some of their local members, which was hosted at Gappah Farm. Claire and David, who are the tenant farmers at Gappah, showed me round their beef cattle, and the areas of the farm they have committed to regenerative farming practices. 

They also talked to me about how they have expanded their work to community events, which include bat walks and apple pressing days.  As a group we discussed how ever changing standards, systems, and the availability of grants are impacting farmers, especially tenant farmers, as they are unable to maintain robust business plans which is essential for any form of business these days. 

I really appreciated the opportunity to learn more about my constituency farms and appreciate the time taken not just by Claire and David, but by the other members of the NFU who came to the meeting.  It gave me an insight I hadn’t previously had around the issues that those in the faming and agricultural industry currently face and has helped me learn how to be a better voice for them in parliament. 

Although I’ve taken a few days off this week, I managed to squeeze in a visit to Riverford Organics, to see how they approach farming and to talk about their co-owner model, where the company is owned by the employees.  We also discussed their innovation projects and the role of organic farming, which includes biodiversity improvements and wildlife rich areas around the farm and changes to reduce soil erosion. 

Riverford are a B-Corp company and as such are committed to high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.  They are also supportive of my Private Members Bill which seeks to change Companies Act from the director’s sole duty as maximising shareholders interests to that of balancing the interests of shareholders, employees and the environment.

My bill is supported by the Better Business Act campaign, and due in the chamber on July 4th – unless we are still discussing the assisted dying bill on that day…