UK Farmers Welcome Government Plans to Slash Red Tape But Call for Clarity on Single Market

05 Jan 2017 --- Farmers in the UK have welcomed the pledge by the environment secretary Andrea Leadsom to scrap European Union red tape for farmers post Brexit but have criticized Leadsom for a lack of clarity on the future direction of agriculture policy. In a speech yesterday at the Oxford Farming Conference, Leadsom said: ““For too long, a bureaucratic system which tries to meet the standards of 28 countries has held farmers back. But now, leaving the EU means we can focus on what works best for the UK.”

The environment secretary promised to cut EU red tape and pointed to the example of erasing the three-crop rule which means that larger farms must grow crops in return for their subsidy payments.

By cutting bureaucracy, famers would be freed up to grow, sell and export more British food while maintaining high standards of animal welfare, Leadsom added.

The post Brexit world offered “big potential wins”, she said, adding that her priority would “be common sense rules that work for the United Kingdom”.

Leadsom, who was a vocal supporter of the UK’s exit from the EU, has made only a few public pronouncements since being appointed to the role of environment secretary in July last year.

In yesterday’s speech, she also pledged to ensure that farmers had access to skilled workers in the future, despite uncertainty as to whether the farming community-and more broadly the food industry-will have access to EU workers following Brexit.

“I am committed to making sure you have the right people with the right skills,” she told delegates. “A strong, skilled workforce will help you,” she said.

“I have no doubt that our best days as a food and farming nation lie ahead of us. In leaving the EU we’ve been handed an opportunity to design an agricultural system that works for us.”

Leadsom’s comments come as the government pledges that farmers will receive the same level of financial support as they do now until 2020. But some MPs have warned that farmers could face a reduction in income after Brexit.

Defra is to set up a wide-ranging consultation on the future of UK food and farming as part of its efforts to reform the sector post-Brexit.

Speaking to Sky News, Leadsom highlighted a number of key markets for the UK farming industry to tap into post Brexit.

She said: "China is just one of nine priority markets we identified in our international action plan with markets in the US, Australia, India and the UAE, offering big opportunities too."

Commenting on access to the EU single market, she said: "It's our absolutely clear intention to maintain as low tariffs as possible, zero tariffs where we can, and we will be negotiating for the best possible deal for UK farmers and food producers."

Responding to Leadsom’s speech, Meurig Raymond, the president of the National Farmers Union (NFU), welcomed the plans to cut bureaucracy but has called for more clarity from the government on key issues such as access to the single market and a “reliable workforce”.

He said: “The secretary of state has said she will be looking to scrap the rules that hold back farming as she works with Government on the UK’s exit from the EU.”

“The NFU has long argued for the removal of burdensome red tape that hampers farming businesses from doing what they do best – producing great, quality, British food. In particular, the commitment to end the three crop rule will be particularly welcomed by farmers.”

“However, whilst we welcome the secretary of state’s commitment to reduce red tape after leaving the EU, there are more immediate concerns that need addressing and it is disappointing that there is no further clarity on access to the single market, how farms will continue to have access to a reliable workforce and what the ambitions are for a future domestic agricultural policy.”

“To ensure that British food and farming continues to have a viable future outside the EU, farmers need to know what future trading arrangements will look like with the EU and beyond. They need to know where they will be able to recruit their workforce from and what a domestic agricultural policy will look like post-Brexit.”

“All of these vital issues will need clarifying as soon as possible. Many farm businesses operate long-term business plans and will be making decisions now without knowing the environment they will be operating in. Therefore, we reiterate our call for clarity on these issues and a commitment to ensuring a competitive, productive and profitable future for the British food and farming sector: one which will benefit all for years to come.”

by John Reynolds