'Ludicrous!' Labour urges British farmers to stop raising cattle in 'climate change' push

Labour has called on British farmers to stop raising cattle as part of a push to fight climate change.

The Government published its highly-anticipated Farming Roadmap on Wednesday, outlining its long-term vision for Britain's agriculture sector.

The 71-page document outlined the Government's intention to help British farmers wind down high-emission farming - including cattle - and move towards “growing oilseeds and pulses” for planet-based products.

“Farmers will play a critical role in delivering this transition by adopting practices that reduce emissions while sustaining productive, commercially viable businesses," the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) wrote.

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The roadmap is widely regarded as a bid from Labour to get back in rural Britain's good books amid continued fury over Rachel Reeves's family farm tax.

However, cattle farmers have hit out at the plans, insisting that land used to raise their animals would not be suitable for growing plant-based items, such as lentils.

Henry Graham, a Berkshire-based farmer who owns a mob of 400 cattle, told The Telegraph: “The idea of somebody ploughing up pasture to grow lentils is ludicrous.”

He insisted that chemicals used on lentils would be unable to be sprayed near water courses where cattle graze because it would simply be too wet.

According to figures from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, the number of Britons adopting a plant-based diet has started to level off.

Chicken consumption in the UK has jumped by 3.6 per cent since 2024, while beef intake has only dipped by one per cent since last year.

Alongside the push for a more "environmentally sustainable" farming sector, Labour has also unveiled plans to increase the number of robots being used on farms.

The Government has also given the green light for farmers to use migrant labour for fruit picking until the end of the decade.

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Rural campaigners have voiced their dissatisfaction with the Government's proposals.

National Farmers Union chief executive Tom Bradshaw said: “While the roadmap is full of ambition, it falls short on action and even shorter on the means of delivery.

“Intent alone won’t deliver a secure and affordable supply of home-grown food for the nation.

“It tips the balance of risk even more onto the shoulders of farmers, with much of the investment expected to come from business bank accounts which have been sucked dry over recent years.”

Meanwhile, Clive Bailye - who organised protests in London against the family farm tax - said: “The roadmap lands on a sector that has had the confidence knocked out of it.

“Until the inheritance tax raid is reversed, no farmer is going to borrow, invest or gamble on new technology because they don’t know whether the business will survive to be passed onto the next generation.”

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: “This roadmap is not a plan written in Whitehall and handed down.

"It is grounded in engagement with farmers, growers and land managers across the country.”

GB News has approached Defra for comment.

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