A snapshot of farmers’ voting intentions ahead of the General Election on July 4 shows the Conservatives ahead in the polls, with Labour and Reform UK neck and neck.

With just daysk to go until voting booths open, a poll by weekly agricultural magazine Farmers Guardian, which serves farmers across the UK, shows a majority for Rishi Sunak’s Government, with support for Reform UK growing since Nigel Farage took over as leader of the party.

Of more than 1,000 respondents, 33% voted Conservative; 23% voted Labour; 22% voted Reform UK; 12% voted Liberal Democrat; 4% voted Green Party; 3% voted ‘other’; with 2% for Plaid Cymru and 1% for the SNP.

Olivia Midgley, editor of Farmers Guardian, which this year celebrates its 180-year anniversary, said: “Our poll shows how the voting intentions of farmers and those in rural communities differs from the national picture, which puts Labour on course for a landslide victory.

“This is a trend we saw with the Brexit referendum, with a study by the Rural Services Network showing the result for England was 53.4% Leave and 46.6% Remain in the countryside, so more slanted towards Leave than for the UK as a whole.

“With more than 70% of the UK farmed landscape (18.6 million hectares), rural areas have a huge amount of sway and it will be interesting to see if Labour’s predicted landslide is as dramatic as national polling suggests.

“With many farmers having become disenfranchised with the Conservative Government after 14 years in power, for many the prospect of a Labour Government is a concern, with controversial proposals on right to roam, do away with inheritance tax relief and end the badger cull.

“Whoever gets the keys to No10, the farming industry knows it will have to lobby the incumbents on the pressing issues facing the country’s food producers to ensure the sector thrives, not only to put food on people’s plates, but to care for our environment.”

Victoria Vyvyan, president of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), which represents 28,000 farmers, landowners and rural businesses, said: “Voters expect all parties to have a robust and ambitious strategy to generate economic growth in the countryside, and those that do will pick up support at the ballot box. Such a strategy must include a realistic agricultural budget and serious reform to the planning system.

“Over recent weeks and months, the CLA has been meeting with parliamentary candidates from across the political spectrum to ensure rural and farming matters are on their agendas. Our members have impressed upon them a number of strong messages, from providing certainty around the farming budget to overhauling the archaic planning system to the importance of agricultural property relief.

“Parties need to go for growth to unlock the full potential of the rural economy, and we stand ready to work with the next government to help deliver.”