Prime Minister speaks to agriculture students at Writtle University College

Rishi Sunak joined engineering apprentices for a lesson on tractor maintenance and saw a flock of New Zealand Romneys

Alex Black
Deputy Editor
clock • 1 min read
Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
Image:

Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to student studying land-based courses at Writtle University College (WUC) in Essex today.

He joined engineering apprentices for a lesson on tractor maintenance, before talking to university students studying agriculture and animal science degrees.

Prime Minister

Director of higher education, Caroline Flanagan, said: "We were delighted to welcome the Prime Minister to WUC.

Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street

"We have been teaching land-based courses for 130 years and we are proud to introduce the next generation to a rewarding, fast-moving industry which draws upon exciting scientific advancements, and which has a huge part to play in delivering environmental sustainability."

See also: Sunak rules out meat tax as part of new green agenda

Apprentices in land-based service engineering spoke to the PM about their hands-on workshop, while demonstrating their understanding of agricultural machinery.

Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street

Students also showcased a flock of New Zealand Romneys and shared their enthusiasm for WUC's work in regenerative agriculture.

More on Politics

Farming Matters: "Are governments listening or have they just learnt to say the right words?"

Farming Matters: "Are governments listening or have they just learnt to say the right words?"

Rory Hutchings, partner and head of agriculture and estates at HCR Law, discusses the current rhetoric on farming coming from Westminster and the Senedd in Wales.

clock 11 July 2026 • 4 min read
Gov scraps mandatory public consultation on data centres amid ongoing concerns for the countryside

Gov scraps mandatory public consultation on data centres amid ongoing concerns for the countryside

The changes are expected to cut pre-application time by up to 12 months and save developers £1 billion on major infrastructure projects

Mia Willemsen
clock 08 July 2026 • 3 min read
Defra breached law when allowing farmers to use pesticides, watchdog finds

Defra breached law when allowing farmers to use pesticides, watchdog finds

The assessment process for emergency authorisations of pesticides is now to be updated following the investigation by the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP)

Mia Willemsen
clock 07 July 2026 • 2 min read