Sir John Whittingdale MP welcomed Dr Neil Hudson, the Conservative Shadow DEFRA spokesman, to the Maldon constituency for a visit to three of the area’s leading food producers: Kelly Turkeys, Missing Gate Vineyard and Maldon Oysters.
The visit provided an opportunity for Dr Hudson to hear directly from local businesses about the challenges they face, including Government regulation, rising employment costs, business rates and energy prices.
Highlighting the importance of the sector to the local economy, Sir John said that Maldon is “very fortunate in having a wide variety of high-quality food producers”. He thanked Dr Hudson for taking the time to meet representatives from three of the constituency’s successful businesses and confirmed that he would be raising the issues discussed with the new Ministers at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The visit reinforced Sir John’s commitment to ensuring that the concerns of Maldon’s food producers are heard in Westminster.
