Dear Editor,

From talking to the farmers and communities in my area, I know that Brexit is creating a challenging and uncertain future for British agriculture.

However, in the face of Brexit uncertainty, co-operatives provide a model for a fairer and more resilient agricultural sector. By working together, farmers benefit from cost savings and efficiencies, mutual support, shared best practice and a louder collective voice.

Co-operative approaches also provide a counterbalance to our increasingly commercialised countryside – instead of big businesses taking profit out of our rural communities in our area, co-operative models share those profits as dividends to farmers and give them a democratic voice in how the organisation is run.

Sadly, the Government’s Agriculture Bill being debated currently fails to put forward any vision for how the agriculture sector can more fairly share its rewards, support rural communities and give farmers a voice – which is why I’m calling on our local MP to write to the agriculture minister George Eustice to support the Co-operative Party’s amendment to provide the practical support and funding for agricultural co-operatives to start up and grow.

Yours faithfully

Your name and address

• You can add the name of your area and MP to personalise the letter.
• You can also add the names of local co-operatives to the letter by using https://www.uk.coop/directory to find a local agriculture co-operative – just use the search bar to filter by your local area and “farming” category.
• You can read our guide to writing letters here : https://party.coop/briefing/tips-forwriting-a-great-letter-to-your-local-paper/