A farming couple in North Yorkshire have been left "shocked and devastated" after Sir Keir Starmer's Government recommended approval for a solar panel scheme on their tenanted land.
Rob and Emma Sturdy face losing nearly half the farmland their family has worked for three generations as the decision has thrown their future into uncertainty.
At first, North Yorkshire council had refused Harmony Energy's application for the solar farm in Malton in 2023 but the case then went to a public inquiry to be led by a planning inspector.
Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook has backed the inspector's view by recommending permission be granted - making it the final decision, unless it is taken to court.
Rob and Emma Sturdy face losing nearly half the farmland their family has worked for three generations (Stock)
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Sturdy, 46, said the "ill-judged decision" would "cause immeasurable long-term damage to our successful farming business and leave us with a very uncertain and difficult future".
"This Labour Government does not support the hard-working farmer or family business and the drive to net zero nationally and locally is destroying businesses like ours," she added.
Sturdy's grandfather first moved to Eden Farm in 1954 where the family have produced wheat, rapeseed oil and barley for three generations in Malton - celebrated by chefs as Yorkshire's food capital.
Sturdy revealed that the couple felt anxious about their future and remain uncertain whether they would even be able to remain in their tenanted home.
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The Sturdys have claimed that approving the scheme could lead to the loss of 42 per cent of their tenanted land.
Their farm is part of the Fitzwilliam Trust Corporation's estate, which counts Lady Rees-Mogg as a director.
Under Labour's proposal, 110 of their 240 acres would be lost to solar panels while Sturdy claimed that around 60 per cent of this land is designated "best and most versatile" farmland.
The family has just over five weeks to challenge the decision through the High Court.
At first, North Yorkshire council had refused Harmony Energy's application for the solar farm in Malton in 2023 but the case then went to a public inquiry to be led by a planning inspector
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Sturdy said they would consider an appeal if they found a legal basis, adding: "We have no regrets but of course we are deeply disappointed."
Harmony Energy said it was "pleased that the project can move forward following a thorough examination" and that it remained "committed to supporting the UK's net zero transition".
They claimed that the site had been planned to ensure "tenants can continue farming alongside the development".
The Fitzwilliam Trust Corporation previously said the Sturdy family had been offered "an index-linked annual income, above and beyond statutory compensation".
The trust claimed this would provide financial security to continue farming a smaller area, although the family responded that the offer was "nowhere near enough" and would make the farm financially unviable.
