There are few better ways to spend a Saturday than at a country show. Last weekend I joined thousands of people who turned out from across our area to enjoy the Mid Devon Show.

The ever-present rain only served to remind me that it takes more than damp weather to deter Devon from showing up. The show was a great success and allowed us to revel in some of the best produce our patch has to offer. It was great to see so many local businesses showcasing what they are rightly proud of.

Farmers deserve our thanks. Done well, farming helps to protect and preserve our precious countryside and some farms trace their heritage back hundreds of years. Yet sadly, many family farms are facing tough times. Some of these are reasons are localised, such as an outbreak of avian influenza, but others are global, such as soaring costs of fertiliser that used to come from Russia.

Yet some of these challenges have been compounded by this Conservative Government. Rising costs of feed and fuel have put a real squeeze on farmers’ incomes. Those farmers who have taken on debt to invest and grow the business find that inflation and rising interest are putting a squeeze, all while their ‘basic payment’ support is being phased out.

New trade deals with far flung countries signed by the Conservatives allow food produced overseas to lower environmental and lower welfare standards to be imported in ever greater volumes - undercutting our homegrown produce. Perhaps some in the City of London will benefit from such trade deals, but the benefits are not seen here in rural Devon.

We should be ensuring that farmers prosper. Without them, we would lose a huge source of local jobs and see our communities poorer for it – because rural communities like ours are at our best when farms succeed.

I am looking forward to attending the Honiton Show on Thursday 3 August and having conversations with people working in rural businesses to find out what more the next Government could do to help them to continue their good work.