Wendy Chamberlain - North East Fife MP - on Universal Credit: "Because of the system change, someone producing our food, cannot afford to eat. This is just not ok"

The Liberal Democrats MP has spoken about the difficulties farming families face in accessing Universal Credit support and why a change in system has left farmers going hungry

clock • 6 min read
Wendy Chamberlain, Scottish Liberal Democrats leader, said: "The very nature of farming means that farming income varies significantly through the year or even over multiple years. Frankly, it shows a failure within the Department for Work and Pensions system to understand how farming works at all. To be blunt, without farmers we do not have food, so we must support them and the farming industry in every way we can."
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Wendy Chamberlain, Scottish Liberal Democrats leader, said: "The very nature of farming means that farming income varies significantly through the year or even over multiple years. Frankly, it shows a failure within the Department for Work and Pensions system to understand how farming works at all. To be blunt, without farmers we do not have food, so we must support them and the farming industry in every way we can."

Universal Credit Farmers have faced extreme difficulty with the transition to Universal Credit, which is needed to sustain them during off seasons or less profitable months, sometimes years. The fact...

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