FARM NEWS 9
• DEC/JAN 2018
“I’m determined to deliver a
Green Brexit. That means sup-
porting our farmers to become
even more productive and doing
even more to protect and en-
hance our natural environment.
We have committed to work with
farmers, food producers and en-
vironmentalists across Britain and
with the devolved administrations
to devise a new way of paying
farmers for productive goods, to
be introduced in due course.”
Whilst attending the Royal
Welsh Show, Michael was quoted
as saying: “We were planning
to assure farmers that their CAP
payments would be guaranteed
until 2020. Now we’re making
the promise that these will be
guaranteed until 2022 – which
no other government and no
party has pledged to do. I want
to ensure that we have the most
generous support for agriculture
in the future.”
A recent report by the Agricul-
ture & Horticulture Development
Board (AHDB) suggests that the
‘worst-case scenario’ regard-
ing CAP payments and labour
shortages could cut average farm
profits from £38,000 a year to just
£15,000.
One of the downsides of the
CAP has been the UK’s self-suf-
ficiency in food production has
fallen to below 60%. So now we
have an opportunity to elevate
this and reduce our reliance
on imports. As we head closer
to leaving the EU, there will no
doubt be other issues and con-
cerns that crop up besides those
we put before Michael Gove.
Already, since researching for this
article, there have been concerns
regarding cheap food imports
from countries such as the USA.
The fear is that cheaper food
imports with lower environmen-
tal or animal welfare standards
could undermine UK farming.
NFU President Meurig Raymond
has said: “British farming would
be severely damaged as cheap-
er imports are allowed in while
British exports remain subject to
high tariffs abroad.
“The British public needs a
viable and productive farming
sector to continue to maintain
and enhance the countryside and
to provide a safe, trusted and af-
fordable supply of British food.”
Speaking to the BBC, Michael
Gove said: “I have made it per-
fectly clear we are not going to
dilute our high environmental
standards or our animal welfare
standards in the pursuit of a trade
deal. “We need to ensure that
we do not compromise those
standards. And we need to be
in a position as we leave the
European Union to be leaders
in environmental and in animal
welfare standards.”
So, it remains to be seen how
much of an effect Brexit will have
on the agricultural industry. We
won’t really know the full impact
of leaving the EU until after 2019.
What we do know, is that it’s not
going to be an easy ride out of the
EU – there are likely to be many
more concerns and doubts before
we go.
Leaving the EU does present
us with a golden opportunity to
develop an agricultural policy that
is tailored specifically to meet the
needs of the UK.