Nick Timothy, the MP for West Suffolk, was grateful for the opportunity to visit local business Claydon Drills on Friday 6 December 2024 and hear more about the innovative agricultural technology pioneered by the family company.
Equipment from the company has been featured on the popular television show Clarkson’s Farm and is now one of the products being exported to customers in around 30 countries.
Nick was given a tour of the company’s headquarters in Wickhambrook and heard more about how the award-winning local company has grown over decades into a local mainstay that employs 70 people.
He also received a briefing from the company’s CEO Jeff Claydon and operations director Oliver Claydon about the company’s innovative seed drilling technology, which helps enable consistent, high yielding crops at low cost.
Jeff Claydon explained to Nick that developing the technology, and moulding the firm into a successful business, had been a labour of love over decades of experience and hard work.
Following the visit, Nick said: “It’s amazing to have innovative family companies such as Claydon right here in West Suffolk and I was delighted to be able to visit the headquarters, hear more about their impressive work and meet their brilliant staff.
“It was also hugely helpful to chat to David and Oliver about the various opportunities and challenges facing British farming. What is abundantly clear is that we need a Government which nurtures homegrown businesses such as this, and which does all it can to help them to grow and expand.
“The Government needs to drop its disastrous plans to tax family farms and family businesses, and it should also reverse its employer National Insurance tax rise. These policies risk devastating the rural economy, agricultural enterprise and jobs. Instead of supporting businesses, Labour Ministers are gratuitously harming them.”
