Labour let the countryside down by failing to tackle problems ranging from post offices to the Rural Payments Agency, Caroline Spelman claimed yesterday.

She told the Tory conference the coalition Government is working hard to put right the neglect of the past 13 years under Labour.

Ms Spelman, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, said: "The fact is Labour has run our rural areas down. Frankly, we've got to make up for lost time."

She said the food and farming industries had to face huge challenges, including rapidly growing demand from a rising global population.

"But they were neglected under the last government. Not just them, but the whole rural way of life – with the loss of post offices, buses and other key services.

"We must put that right."

They had already started to sort out the "shambles" of the RPA they had inherited, cut the red tape facing farmers and tackle the Bovine TB crisis.

Ministers were working on improving food labelling so buyers know where products are from, and would boost rural internet access, she pledged.

Ms Spelman told grassroots Tories how she had helped maintain the ban on commercial whaling, and finally outlawed the import of illegal timber.

But she did not mention one issue many of them would have been interested in – a Parliamentary vote on repealing Labour's Hunting Act.