Oral Answers to Questions

John Milne Excerpts

Thursday 13th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[John Whitby (Derbyshire Dales) (Lab)]

2. What steps she is taking to help increase prosecution rates for rural crime.

[John Milne (Horsham) (LD)]

9. What steps she is taking to help ensure the effective prosecution of rural crime.

[The Solicitor General]

Rural crime can destroy our landscapes, jeopardise businesses and, over time, break down communities. This Government are committed to cracking down on crime and disorder in rural areas, through tougher powers on antisocial behaviour, farm theft, and fly-tipping. The Crown Prosecution Service has appointed a national rural crime lead, and last month it brought together prosecutors from across the country to ensure a co-ordinated approach to prosecution.

[The Solicitor General]

I am sorry to hear about the terrible experience of my hon. Friend’s constituent, and I recognise the significant impact that the theft of equipment has on farmers, both financially and on their wellbeing. The Government recently announced an £800,000 funding boost for the national rural crime unit and national wildlife crime unit. Those dedicated police units will increase collaboration across police forces, and harness the latest technology and data to target the serious organised crime groups that are involved in farm equipment theft.

[John Milne]

Earlier this year I carried out a survey among farmers in my constituency, who said that they did not bother to report over a third of rural crimes because they felt that not enough happened when they did so. I would not say that nothing has been done, because we now have a specialist rural crime unit across Sussex, but there is an issue with police call centres and staff who do not appear to understand rural issues. Will the Solicitor General look at improving training at call centres in my constituency and across the country?

[The Solicitor General]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising that important issue. I will certainly pick up the issue of police response with Home Office colleagues. The Government are committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which aims to prevent the theft and resale of high-value equipment, particularly for use in an agricultural setting. The National Police Chiefs’ Council wildlife and rural crime strategy provides a framework through which policing and its partners can work together, to tackle the most prevalent threats and emerging issues that predominantly affect rural communities.

Sustainable Farming Incentive

John Milne Excerpts

Wednesday 12th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Daniel Zeichner]

The hon. Gentleman makes an important point. I refer him to the food security report. There has been no change to the amount of money available. The £5 billion budget is there; this is a discussion about who gets it.

[John Milne (Horsham) (LD)]

Will the Minister explain to farmers in Horsham why he did not feel any need to consult any farming stakeholders in advance of this announcement?

[Daniel Zeichner]

Again, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the point that I made earlier. If we started a consultation on a first come, first served scheme, everybody would apply that day and we would have to shut it at that point. That is a flaw in the way the scheme was designed.

Oral Answers to Questions

John Milne Excerpts

Thursday 19th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)]

I would be delighted to work with my hon. Friend on this important issue. The Association of Drainage Authorities is on the flood resilience taskforce, and the statutory instrument will be laid as soon as parliamentary time allows.

[John Milne (Horsham) (LD)]

T2. A farmer in my constituency tells me that even in a good year he is lucky to see much beyond £20,000 in profit. With margins as wafer thin as that, regular farming barely qualifies as investable at all. The risk of losing a huge slice of that farm to inheritance tax at random intervals would not only go to putting this generation out of business, but go a long way towards ensuring that they can never be replaced. Does the Minister agree that this measure—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. We need to get our act together. This is the shortest set of topical questions and I will not be able to get many Members in. We have to remember what topicals are always about. I hope you have got the gist of the question, Minister.

Future of Farming

John Milne Excerpts

Wednesday 4th December 2024 Westminster Hall

[John Milne (Horsham) (LD)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Roger. My constituency includes a mix of rural and urban areas, but this tax hurts both, and that is the key point that I want to make. Local farms do not exist in isolation; they are part of an ecosystem of businesses that depend on each other to thrive.

A local farmer, James, has told me about his farm, which has been in his family since all the way back in 1904. James supports his young family and elderly relatives. It is not just a full-time job, but three full-time jobs. That is because to operate the farm successfully, James now runs three businesses: a fallen stock collection business, a pet cremation business, and the farm itself. Without diversifying, he might have gone under a long time ago. Farming alone often is not enough for many farmers to keep their heads above water. Now James faces a national insurance hike, a sharp acceleration in the phasing out of direct payments under the basic payment scheme, and the removal of APR and business property relief. How many businesses do we think one farmer has to run before they simply break?

Yes, there is a problem with non-farmers investing in land to avoid tax, but this family farm tax is not the way to fix it. There is too much collateral damage. It is going to hit too many farmers like my constituent James with a family to support, a business to run on slim margins, and a community that relies on them. The tax comes on top of the pressures imposed by a botched Brexit and trade deals that threaten to bring down the high standards of British farms. The money raised by the tax will not go anywhere near plugging the Budget black hole.

We need to recognise that a strong farming community is our best ally in moving towards a sustainable food system and job-filled rural communities. I call on the Government to work with the farming community to build a national food strategy that benefits farmers in the fields and the shoppers in our supermarkets.