Karen joined her political opponents on the hustings in Horton Village Hall on Friday for an in depth discussion of farming issues. The NFU organised a lively and searching session for the challengers in the general election.
Karen fielded questions on quality of food imports, renewable energy, planning difficulties and how to encourage young people into farming.
An interested audience of farmers and those in associated businesses quizzed the candidates on the detail of their views. But the major issue from the floor was clearly that of bovine TB.
Karen showed there was a clear difference between the parties with her understanding of the issue. She said:
"I can't begin to imagine the emotional distress farmers feel having to destroy a herd they've built up over many years due to bovine TB - particularly when so many of the animals are likely to be unaffected.
"We can't go on spending millions of pounds destroying animals without proper research. I can't agree with the Labour view in the Moorlands that a cull of badgers can never be the answer. But before we take drastic action we need to understand first where the disease is coming from. We should start by embracing new technology like the PCR test that Conservatives are advocating.
"I think the NFU did a great job in putting together today's event and I hope those who attended saw the debate moved further on. We need to make sure that farming issues are given due weight in Westminster. That will help us secure our food supplies and the prosperity of this important economic sector."