PR Rural Manifesto from Land Workers' Alliance and The Land

[Simon Fairlie]

Land Workers' Alliance	       The Land Magazine

RURAL MANIFESTO LAUNCHED AT THE OXFORD REAL FARMING CONFERENCE,   
CALLS FOR “EQUALITY IN THE COUNTRYSIDE”

The Land Workers' Alliance and The Land magazine have joined forces  
to produce a rural manifesto which aims to challenge the elitism that  
dominates rural policy. The manifesto is also supported by the Family  
Farmers Association.

The manifesto was launched at the Oxford Real Farming Conference on 6  
January. It includes 46 action points, on matters such a housing,  
land ownership, agriculture and rural employment. These all have the  
common aim of making Britain’s rural land and resources more  
accessible to a wider constituency of people.

The manifesto is aimed primarily at the progressive parliamentary  
opposition. Simon Fairlie of The Land magazine stated:

“With a reinvigorated Labour opposition, and a body of Scottish  
Nationalists committed to land reform, we are now in a better  
position to challenge the dominating influence of the Country Land  
and Business  Association, the National Farmers' Union, and Scottish  
Land and Estates.”

Rebecca Laughton of the Land Workers’ Alliance, and a market  
gardener, stated:

”For decades,  the number of farms and the number of farmworkers  
have declined remorselessy, while the cost of rural housing has  
become increasingly unaffordable. It is time we reversed these  
trends, and it is not rocket science to do so.”

A number of the action points are reproduced below.
The full manifesto,  including original illustrations by Clifford  
Harper, is attached as a pdf at the foot of this email. It is  
embargoed until 6 January.

For more information please contact:

Ed Hamer of the Landworker’s Alliance: 07858 381539 edhamer at riseup.net
Simon Fairlie of The Land magazine: 01297 561359 chapter7 at tlio.org.uk



A SAMPLE OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION FROM THE MANIFESTO

• The Land Registry should not be privatized. The register of who  
owns which land should be completed, and made easily and freely  
accessible  on line. A cadastral map for each municipality should be  
made publicly available at council offices, as it is in countries  
such as France and Spain.
• The sell-off of county farms should be halted  (except where  
county farmland can be sold for development and the proceeds used to  
acquire more or better land). Local authorities should be re- 
empowered to acquire land for rent to small-scale farmers and new  
entrants where there is a proven need.
• Common Agricultural Policy direct subsidies should be capped at  
€150,000 per individual farmer, releasing an estimated £4million.  
The ceiling should be lowered progessively over time to a level that  
supports a wider range of thriving family farms.
• Much organically produced food and animal feed is not labelled as  
such because the costs of certification are too high for small-scale  
producers. The burden of labelling and certification should instead  
be borne by farmers who employ chemicals or other ecologically  
suspect practices, rather than by organic farmers. In other words,  
food products that have been produced using artificial fertilizers,  
pesticides, herbicides or genetically modified materials should be  
clearly labelled as such.
• Increase investment in council housing and social housing in  
villages.
• Measures should be taken to ensure that recently introduced   
government support for self-build housing is focussed on affordable  
housing, and not luxury housing.
• All  rural local authorities to set targets within their area for  
the reduction of carbon emissions through renewable energy  
generation, including solar, wind and micro-hydro — especially  
community schemes; and through energy saving measures such as  
insulation of buildings.
• Support should be provided for the creation of “village service  
stations” in rural settlements that combine retail provision of food  
and essential goods with post-office and banking services, car-hire  
and minibus services, etc
  • Include land management (horticulture, arable crops, animal  
husbandry, forestry etc) as a subject at secondary schools on a par  
with academic subjects.
• Reintroduce the fuel duty escalator, a ratcheted annual increase  
of carbon tax on petrol and diesel, including red diesel, with the  
proceeds earmarked for public transport provision.













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