A LACK of reliable rural mobile and internet access has led a representative for Herefordshire farmers to speak out, saying they are being treated as "second-class citizens".

A new survey by the NFU found that three-quarters of farms are struggling to connect to the internet, with some farmers in Herefordshire reporting unreliable mobile signal across outdoor locations on their farms.

Six per cent of NFU members said they have no access to 4G or 5G on their phones at all. 

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Farmer Jane Bassett, the NFU Midlands regional board chair, said the problems are "hindering the industry's ability to run effective, food-producing businesses".

She said: "Concerns around broadband for farmers and the wider rural community have gone on too long. So long in fact I am now on my third round of MP lobbying on this issue with little noticeable improvement.

"Any so-called improvements happen so slowly that what in reality is happening is that demand is increasing faster than rollout. We are still being treated as second-class citizens despite the hype around improvements.

"In reality we have no choice of mobile phone provider and often if there is one there is no marked difference in performance. Poor reception prevails for too many places and in many cases we have to travel into a local town to get any reception, which is shocking really. We are all paying for a service which in reality does not deliver.

"Farming businesses are impacted and we as an industry need good reception for a variety of reasons including health and safety.

"Tourism businesses, many of which are farm-based, are also denied any choice which most consumers expect now.

"The industry is pushing ahead with technology but we need that improvement otherwise it hampers productivity. We should not just have to accept it because it's rural."

Rachel Hallos, NFU vice president, said: "The lack of mobile and broadband connectivity is a barrier. We are asking the government to prioritise rural connectivity.

"In the meantime, the NFU will continue to ask for a technologically neutral broadband rollout, one which means focusing on results rather than favouring specific methods, so rural-proofed solutions, such as satellite broadband, can be installed."