DEVON is home to some of the finest small-scale drinks producers in the country, from traditional cider makers and innovative distilleries to award-winning breweries.

Across Central Devon, these businesses are not only producing exceptional gins, ciders, lagers and ales, they’re also helping to sustain our rural economy, attract visitors, and in turn, maintain the character of our rural towns and villages. They are a source of enormous local pride.

But the environment for these small producers is becoming increasingly difficult.

Recent changes to business rates and National Insurance, alongside changes to the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) which affect many of the farmers supplying these producers, are adding significant costs and layers of red tape.

For a large national drinks company, such measures may be an inconvenience; for a small rural producer with tight margins, seasonal workflows, and high input costs, they can be the difference between growth and closure.

The reality is that these burdens have disproportionately benefitted big industry incumbents at the expense of our entrepreneurial, community-rooted businesses.

In recent weeks, I have visited several of these outstanding producers and the pubs that proudly serve their products.

Gotland Gin in Hatherleigh blends craft skill with distinctive local character, producing spirits infused with botanicals that reflect their rural setting.

Sampford Courtenay Cider Company keeps alive the tradition of pressing and fermenting apples from its own orchards, creating cider that is unmistakably Devon. Over in Crediton, Sandford Orchards operates from Britain’s oldest working cider mill, combining heritage methods with modern efficiency to produce cider enjoyed well beyond our county.

The variety on offer here in the county is remarkable.

We have the refreshing Tarka Lager from Otter Brewery. There’s the rich, malty Jail Ale from Dartmoor Brewery, loved well beyond the moors, and Luscombe’s cider, another example of how Devon producers can balance tradition with innovation.

Smaller distilleries are also making their mark, with flavoured gins, rums, and even vodkas emerging from local workshops, each with its own local story.

Local pubs play a crucial role in keeping these producers thriving.

At the Tom Cobley Tavern in Spreyton that I visited recently they stock a wide range of local ciders and gins, giving these businesses a vital route to market while offering customers a genuine taste of the area.

I also dropped in on the Cridford Inn in Trusham another proud supporter of local beers and ciders, ensuring that what’s on tap reflects the community it serves.

These producers and venues represent the best of Devon, creativity, quality, and a strong sense of place.

They draw in tourists, create jobs, and keep money circulating locally. But they cannot be taken for granted.

But without fairer tax treatment, we risk losing not only beloved brands but also the heritage, skills, and all economic benefits they bring.

That’s why I’ll keep fighting in Parliament for a fairer deal for our independent pubs and producers.

Mel Stride

MP for Central Devon