Steve Reed

Flooding Secretary Emma Hardy has criticised the previous Conservative Government for failing to protect rural and farming communities from flooding

In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown looks back at the top news stories of the week, including the Chancellor's Spring Statement, the Defra Secretary facing criticism for visiting only four farms since Labour's General Election win, concerns around the end of funding for Producer Organisations within the soft fruit sector, and King Charles and the Prince of Wales out and about supporting British farming. She also looks ahead to next week, when the Farming Minister will make his first appearance before the Efra Committee to answer questions on the SFI suspension and ongoing industry concerns

In the more than eight months since Labour won the election, the Defra Secretary has visited four farm businesses

Will new funding be enough to support farming and rural communities from crime?

RPA chief executive Paul Caldwell said he leaves the agency in a 'great position' to further maximise grant-making and deliver for its customers

Mr Juniper, former president of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts and adviser to King Charles, has been reappointed as chair of Natural England for a third term

Exmoor farmer Robin Milton said ‘trust and confidence in SFI had been wrecked' and it would take ‘some exceptionally good assurance' before many farmers would trust integrating it into their business again

In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown analyses the fall out from the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), with the Farming Minister telling MPs that farmers were not given notice on closure as it would have led to a 'further spike in applications'. The National Trust says Defra's decision to close SFI to new applications will leave farmers facing a 'four month funding gap'. And she takes a look at the NFU's farmer confidence survey which is reportedly at an 'all time low'

Despite the Government's own website stating that it would give farmers six week notice before the closure of SFI, the Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner said it was not possible, as it would have led to a ‘further spike in applications'