IN a part of the world like ours, farming and agriculture are an incredibly important part of our surroundings, our communities and our local economy.

I am acutely aware of this as Member of Parliament for one of the most rural constituencies in the entire country.

There are over 1.2 million acres of farmland here in Devon and more than 20,000 people working on farms in the county.

And I know from regularly speaking to local farmers how frustrating it can be when decisions seem to be made in London by politicians and civil servants who seem to have no understanding or experience of what it is like to run a farm.

Just before Christmas I met with the National Farmers Union in the middle of our vast constituency to hear from Devon farmers about the issues they are facing today.

I have made clear many times before my anger and dismay at the government’s plans to begin charging Inheritance Tax on family farms.

We continue to campaign against that policy which will do untold damage to the sector.

But what struck me when speaking to local farmers was the wider feeling that farmers across the piece are being ignored and underappreciated, and the support available to them leaves much to be desired.

The family farm tax policy is not a standalone issue, it is symptomatic of a wider problem.

One issue which was raised with me in particular was changes that have been made to capital grants for farmers.

This is a vital scheme which supports farmers with the costs associated with maintaining trees, orchards, air quality, water quality, and natural flood management.

The government supports farmers with these, which can involve significant expense, because they are public goods.

It is only fair to share the costs when we all also share the benefits. It is a recognition of the fact that farmers are custodians of our land, our forests, our waterways.

The government recently announced it would temporarily be closing the grant scheme to new claims.

This is a major blow to many farmers on top of all the other problems they are already facing.

And I heard the frustrations of many Devon farmers not just at the decision but at the approach being taken by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in Whitehall.

There is confusion about what is happening and information has not been forthcoming.

I really hope that ministers begin to take notice of these concerns.

The Environment Secretary went to the Oxford Farming Conference this week to give a speech and was met with large protests.

It must be increasingly clear to the government that this level of dissatisfaction cannot be ignored, but it remains to be seen if they will actually change course. If they do not, I fear the future for our local farming community across the county could be bleak.

I will continue to stand up for our local farmers and do everything I can to ensure their voices are being heard.