County farmers will receive additional financial support amid rising costs.

With diesel prices on the rise and fertiliser costing an all-time high, farmers face significant extra upfront costs this summer.

As such, the government has confirmed that payouts for the Basic Payment Scheme will be brought forward in an effort to help farmers with the higher costs.

West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin recently met with farmers from Pershore and Upton to hear their concerns.

Speaking after, Mrs Baldwin said: “This is a troubling time for farmers, with significant extra costs to meet in the coming months, and the Government has moved swiftly to help them manage budgets easier through the year.

“The Basic Payments Scheme is an important measure which helps farmers to produce the food that we need for our tables all year round and it was a wise decision to bring the payments forward.”

“The terrible war in Ukraine has shown how important it is that we stay in charge of our own food production and as a country we are resilient to product supply issues from elsewhere in the world.”

The Basic Payment Scheme was first introduced in 2015 to replace subsidies coming from the Common Agricultural Payments scheme.

It acts as both a safety net for farmers and an incentive for them to work in an environmentally sustainable way.

Mrs Baldwin passed on the farmers’ feedback to Farming Minister Victoria Prentis.

She added: “I regularly meet with farmers to hear their concerns and there was some very useful feedback which I was able to pass on to the Minister after my last meeting.

“I continue to watch this issue closely and will keep in close touch with local farmers to make sure their voices are heard as the Government hones its response to rising costs of gas and oil.”