BREXIT Briefing A Round-Up of News and Views Concerning
NEW BREXIT COALITION UNITES VOICES ON AGRICULTURAL SUPPLY, TRADE, TECHNOLOGY AND
ADVICE The Agri-Brexit Coalition is a new grouping of eight organisations and trade associations involved in agribusiness, which aims to bring together the expertise of this particular sector of UK agriculture plc as negotiations on Brexit progress. The Agri-Brexit Coalition has been founded by: Agricultural
the Effects of Brexit on Agriculture integral part of a dynamic UK food chain. They would enhance the productivity and competitiveness of farm businesses, recognise and reward the environmental goods that farmers deliver, and mitigate volatility where it impacts commercial viability. “However, the focus of the policy will be dependent on the deal
Engineers Association (AEA), Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC), British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB), Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV), Crop Protection Association (CPA), Grain and Feed Trade Association (GAFTA), National Association of Agricultural Contractors (NAAC), and National Office of Animal Health (NOAH), explained Coalition Coordinator David Caffall, who is Chief Executive of AIC. The new group will focus on those key issues in Brexit negotiations
which are pertinent to the UK trading and supplying of goods, services, technology and advice to UK farmers. Its stated purpose is to inform and influence UK Governments in order to achieve a positive outcome to negotiations for UK Agriculture as well as the EU and the wider world.
“Whatever shape UK agriculture takes over the coming years, the
industry and the nation will depend on higher efficiency and productivity along with successful relationships with other countries, explained Mr Caffall. “Members of this coalition are the principal means by which knowledge is transferred and technical advance implemented on farm. This is a collective resource which we can offer to UK Governments providing a ‘one-stop shop’ of expertise. ”
NFU UNVEILS THREE CORNERSTONES FOR A NEW
DOMESTIC AGRICULTURAL POLICY The NFU has published the first of a series of reports setting out its Vision for the Future of Farming. The paper covers the key issues that will impact on British farming and that must be addressed now the Government has triggered Article 50. The report details the framework being proposed and consists of
three ‘cornerstones’: Productivity measures and business resilience; Volatility mitigation measures and management tools; Environmental measures. The vision explains what the NFU believes is needed for a thriving farming sector post Brexit and outlines the approach Government and industry must take to support UK agriculture once the UK has left the EU and no longer governed by the Common Agricultural Policy. NFU President Meurig Raymond said: “The NFU and its members
are very clear; we must use this opportunity to create the conditions for a productive, resilient and sustainable agricultural sector that meets the expectations of the UK public – producing safe and affordable food, looking after our environment and valued countryside, and contributing to productive and robust economic growth. “The three cornerstones we are proposing all work together to enable farming to be competitive, profitable and progressive and an
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the Government achieves with Brexit. If the Government secures a free trading arrangement with the EU, ensures UK farmers are not disadvantaged by future trade deals outside the EU, and ensures the industry’s labour needs are met, then we can consider an ambitious new policy - one that is designed specifically for our domestic farming sector, involving a wide range of measures which focus on productive, resilient, sustainable and profitable farm businesses. If we get a bad deal for farming, then measures to manage volatility - such as direct payments - will remain vital to help farm businesses compete in an uncertain world. “Once we are no longer subject to the CAP, the Government
has given assurances that farmers will continue to be supported after 2020. We believe that farming should maintain current levels of public investment through this new policy framework, but recognise that in the future this may be delivered in different ways, directly or indirectly to farmers, for instance through fiscal incentives, environmental schemes or ensuring farmers benefit from cutting edge developments in R&D. “Today’s report outlining a new Domestic Agricultural Policy
complements our objectives for the trade, labour and regulatory issues which together form the essentials of a successful farming sector. Over the coming weeks and months, as the Brexit negotiations get underway, we will set out our core principles and expectations of government for each. “British farming delivers on every level. In monetary value - for
every £1 invested in farm support - farming delivers £7.40 back to the UK economy. Our industry is the bedrock for the country’s largest manufacturing sector – food and drink – a sector worth £108 billion and one that employs nearly four million people. “We now need to shape a policy that promotes competitive,
profitable and progressive farm businesses that can continue to produce adequate supplies of British food that the public enjoys and trusts.”
POSKITT SETS OUT PRIORITIES FOR POST-BREXIT FARMING POLICY AT RIX PETROLEUM AGRICULTURAL
OPEN DAY NFU board member Guy Poskitt has called on the Government to create a post-Brexit agricultural policy that will help farmers drive their businesses forward. Speaking at the first Rix Petroleum Agricultural Open Day at
Driffield Showground in April, he told an audience of farmers that in his view, key priorities for such a policy are funding, labour, trade, and plant health. Mr Poskitt said Brexit could bring benefits such as a reduction
in red tape, higher prices and no longer being under EU rule. But he warned delegates that the EU remained British farming’s biggest export
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