The National Farmers’ Union president Meurig Raymond has urged the Government to end the uncertainty over what Brexit will mean for UK farming and take a collaborative approach to negotiations to achieve the best outcome for the country.
Raymond pointed out that there is still a number of issues that need to be clarified regarding a future trading relationship with the EU, including the future immigration system and public policy.
He said: “We don’t know what our future trading relationship will be with the EU – our biggest trading partner by some way in agri-food products; we don’t know how a future immigration system in the UK will work, and how farmers can be sure they’ll continue to have access to the highly specialised workforce required in many sectors; and we don’t know how public policy will support agriculture in future in mitigating volatility, improving productivity and delivering environmental goods once we are no longer subject to the Common Agricultural Policy.”
NFU’s president reiterated that the union’s key asks for Brexit remained unchanged and included the delivery of the right post-Brexit trade deal with continued tariff-free and frictionless access to the single market, a domestic agricultural policy suited to Britain, access to a competent and reliable workforce and, finally, a regulatory framework that supports productive agriculture alongside protecting the environment and public health.
He commented: “For agriculture, the sector that has the potential to be the most affected by Brexit, this means working with UK farming unions, the food chain and the farm supply chain.
“From our perspective, the NFU has engaged extensively as part of our Brexit work, both with government and with industry and interest groups within and beyond agriculture.”
Elsewhere, Raymond noted that NFU would continue to press the new Secretary of State at Defra, Michael Gove, to support British farming through other measures, including a commitment to continue the 25-year TB eradication strategy, tackling the increasing problem of rural crime and promoting British food at home and abroad.
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