Although around 9.7m people (17.1%) in the UK live in rural areas according to DEFRA, issues of rural poverty and poor infrastructure have rarely been given the much-needed attention by the Government they deserve. Our rural economies have been left struggling after the impact of COVID-19 coming on top of years of cutbacks, our high quality food producers being undercut in trade deals, and uncertainty over the Government’s new environmental support schemes.

Co-operatives form a significant part of the rural economy in this country – some of the largest co-operatives are in the agricultural sector with a turnover of over £7bn according to the 2021 Co-op Economy report. With the right support, we could help this sector can grow even more.

That is why we have launched a Rural Commission: bringing together the best ideas for how the co-operative movement can contribute to our rural life.