British farmers are angry with the UK government due of a lack of funding compared to the United States’ agricultural sector.
$40.2 million was recently given to farmers and the agriculture section by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). The money will be used will provide financial returns and help create jobs for agricultural producers, businesses and families across the country.
However, there is not heavy investment like this from the UK government for farmers. Retired Lincolnshire farmer, Hugh Wykes, said; “the funds encourage them to produce more and enables them to actually do it.”
Wykes then spoke about the Rural Development Plan (RDP) and DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), plans and scheme’s set up to help British farmers to develop their farms, equipment and make their livelihood easier.
He said “The scheme is a match funded scheme, if you’ve got a project you want to diversify or anything like that and you put forward a proposal and they’ll match fund your investment to encourage you to produce more effectively”
Quoted from RDP’s website “Defra has refocused remaining socio-economic resources (circa £100 million) of RDPE in line with the priorities of the Rural Economy Growth Review published on 29 November 2011.” This scheme helps to provide funding for farmers where ordinarily they would not get any.