The NFU has sent their congratulations to the newly elected MP for Somerton and Frome and have extended an invitation for her to visit farms to discuss what more can be done for the farming industry following her election.

Liberal Democrat Sarah Dyke, who comes from a farming background herself, has been elected as the new MP for Somerton and Frome, taking over from Conservative David Warbuton.

With Sarah’s farming family able to trace their local roots back over more than 250 years, members of the NFU have said they hope the newly elected MP will be visiting nearby farms soon to discuss local and national issues affecting agriculture.

Sarah, who studied Agricultural and Business studies at university, has spoken previously about her passion for helping farmers, saying: “We need to do much more to back our local farming industry.”

Prior to the election, Sarah attended a local hustings meeting alongside other candidates where she spoke to NFU members about what they want to see from herself in terms of support for the farming industry.

With Sarah now elected, NFU’s Regional Policy Manager for the South, Alex Stevens, said: “Congratulations to Sarah Dyke and all the candidates who made a real effort to engage with businesses and communities in Somerton and Frome, not least at our own hustings event. 

“We are looking forward to taking Sarah out to on-farm meetings and helping her to learn more about the pressures faced by farming families, the opportunities for improving productivity and the good work that can be done to meet environmental and biodiversity challenges while navigating the route to Net Zero. 

“The NFU engages with all policy makers and influencers from all parties in a non-partisan way and we look forward to engaging with Prospective Parliamentary Candidates as well as our experienced MPs as we move closer to the next general election.”