A new report produced by the Country and Land Business Association, in partnership with the Labour Rural Research Group, suggests that closing England’s rural productivity gap could generate an additional £22.5bn in economic output.
Polling commissioned for the study found overwhelming public support for a strong domestic farming sector, with 87% of respondents saying it was important to the UK’s future.
A further three quarters said they would support increased investment in British farming where this strengthened national food security, while 63% believed Labour should give rural communities and the rural economy greater priority than they had received in recent years.
According to the report, rural England generated £259 billion in Gross Value Added in 2023. However, its contribution to national output has fallen from around 19% in 2001 to approximately 12% today.
The report concludes that putting farming and rural communities at the centre of economic policy could strengthen domestic food security, unlock investment and ensure that future economic growth extends beyond Britain’s major cities.