Prime Minister Theresa May has reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to “continue to back British farmers” after the UK quits the European Union, highlighting that it has “already provided guarantees of support for farmers up to 2020.”
In an answer to Victoria Atkins MP, Louth and Horncastle, during last week’s Prime Minister’s Questions, May noted that “the UK’s high standards of food safety and of animal welfare” will be “a priority,” while “any trade deals we enter into will need to be right for consumers, for businesses, for farmers.”
“We do have an opportunity to build a new future for our food and farming industry when we leave the European Union […] We recognise the need for certainty for businesses and we’ve already provided guarantees of support for farmers up to 2020,” she added.
The National Farmers’ Union president Meurig Raymond welcomed the Prime Minister’s support and reiterated that “to maintain, or even accelerate, British farming’s contribution post-Brexit, we need Government to secure the right trade conditions and access to a competent and reliable workforce in formal negotiations.”
He added: “We’re continuing to push for commitments for when the Treasury’s guarantee comes to a close at the end of 2019. After all, this will be when the UK is operating outside of the EU. The Prime Minster rightfully says we have an opportunity to build a new future for our industry post-Brexit. The NFU’s work on post-Brexit will ensure Government is able to seize this opportunity so the farming sector can thrive.”
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
