Today I hosted a forum with local farmers at Moss Valley Meats in Norton. Alongside my weekly Village Hall Meetings and resident surgeries, these meetings form a crucial part of keeping in touch with constituents and help me to do job representing North East Derbyshire in Parliament.
In North East Derbyshire, and indeed nationally, our farmers are vital and supporting British farming has to be a key priority for any government. During the meeting, we covered a wide range of issues from trade, tariffs, Red Tractor, food security, use of land and support for rural communities.
Making sure that our rural areas have a voice is hugely important and it is one of the things I have tried to prioritise as an MP - and is why I'm keen to do Farmers Forums regularly. I want to also say a massive thank you to everyone who came, to the NFU and to Stephen and Karen Thompson from Moss Valley Meats who very kindly hosted the meeting.