Last week, Maria Miller  met up with a group of local farmers and the NFU representative to discuss a range of issues relating to farming and agriculture, including the threat from bovine TB, rural crime and attitudes towards pesticides. North East Hampshire MP Ranil Jayawardena joined the meeting as some of the farms straddle constituency boundaries.

Maria said: “I was very pleased to have this opportunity to discuss the mounting pressures facing modern farmers. I know that feelings run high on issues such as badger culling to stop the spread of bovine TB and the use of pesticides. We need good farmers to care for the land and our countryside, and more needs to be done to encourage a positive dialogue between farmers and people who live in our towns.”