With a rural constituency, and being a fourth-generation farmer’s son, my priorities on food and farming are well documented since becoming Member of Parliament; especially as I used my maiden speech in the House of Commons to speak up for the UK’s high standards for the environment, animal welfare and food safety.

It was therefore with some surprise that I read uninformed and negative comments this week on social media about my latest vote on the Agriculture Bill, namely the ‘NC2’ amendment on 13th May. It was when a neighbour from Holwell publicly declared: ‘Shame on you, especially as you are from a local farming family’, that I realised I needed to make my position much clearer in the quest to beat ‘fake news’.

Firstly, those commenting had not read the accompanying article in full, or so it seemed, although it did not help that the original commenter stated, incorrectly, that I had voted to lower food standards. I had not. Quite the opposite. So, for the avoidance of doubt, on 13th May - after much consideration - I voted in support of the standards amendment and wrote to the Farmers Weekly about it last week, along with my thoughts on how the farming lobby can better get its message through in future. You can read my letter at www.chrisloder.co.uk/farmers

I made a commitment to vote in support of British standards on food and farming and I have stood by that. If anybody would like to discuss local farming issues with me, particularly of course if you are a West Dorset farmer, I am always happy to do so – just drop me a line to hello@chrisloder.co.uk. The Agriculture Bill is now moving on to the House of Lords and it represents one of the most significant pieces of farming legislation to come before Parliament for decades.

WEST DORSET MP CHRIS LODER