The NFU officeholder team is kicking off the biggest farming consultation on what farming must look like outside the EU, grasping the earliest opportunity to engage with members at an industry event.
Over both days of Livestock 2016 event, the NFU President, Deputy and Vice have committed to speaking and answering questions on the NFU stand, discussing the impact of Brexit and what this means for the future of farming.
The consultation on this - the biggest farming consultation in a lifetime - will continue over the summer.
NFU President Meurig Raymond said: "We’ve seen a seismic change in the political system in this country.
"We’re left in uncharted waters, but we’re also left with an opportunity for the NFU and its members to engage with Government and shape a profitable and productive future for farming.
"I am confident that the dairy and livestock farmer members at the Livestock event will have thoughts on how post-Brexit farming in this country should be – and the NFU, as always, is committed to listening to its members and making these thoughts count."
'Critical policy areas'
NFU Deputy President Minette Batters said: "The NFU has set out its principles - the bare bones of a domestic agricultural policy - we need farmers to help us shape critical policy areas. Brexit means food security in this country must now be a political priority.
"I know that farmers in this country have excelled at producing food to exceptionally high standards, they are proud to lead the world on traceability and animal welfare. So unsurprisingly there is huge global demand for Red Tractor food.
"When the UK leaves the EU we are going to need the Government to be ambitious and innovative in ensuring farmers have access to the best possible trade agreements."
'Future is unclear'
NFU Vice President Guy Smith said: "The future of trade agreements, access to labour, regulation and farm support is unclear.
"But, in no uncertain terms, the NFU is committed to providing the vision of farming outside of the EU for Government to deliver, strengthened by the membership.
"Farmers of all ages, of all sectors, must be part of this debate.
"We have a unique opportunity to develop a domestic agricultural policy, a chance to shape this to fit our needs and ensure a positive future for our industry.
"I’m very much looking forward to the contributions from Livestock event."
Last Friday, the NFU Council launched farming’s 'most significant consultation' over the impact of Brexit on agriculture and what a domestic farming policy should look like in the future outside the EU.
The agreed principles from NFU Council are:
• Farmers must get the best possible access to markets in the rest of Europe. Although the UK will not be a member of the EU, it will still be a major trading partner for the foreseeable future.
• Currently the UK benefit from more than 50 trade agreements with countries in the
rest of the world. Farmers will continue to need these kind of arrangements in future, whether this means negotiating new deals or not.
• A key question we had to the Leave camp, and on which we never received a clear answer, was what kind of access would an independent UK give to imports from the rest of the world? Our requirement is that we are not open to imports which are produced to lower standards.
• During the referendum the NFU has repeatedly drawn attention to the sector’s need for access to migrant labour, both seasonal and full-time. Outside the EU farmers will need some kind of student agricultural workers scheme, which is open to students from around the world.
• Leaving the EU gives farmers the opportunity to build a new domestic agricultural policy which is adapted to British people's needs, easy to understand and simple to administer. The NFU will be looking for guarantees that the support given to British farmers is on a par with that given to farmers in the EU, who will still be the UK's principal competitors.
• The NFU says it wants to see a rural development policy which focuses on enhancing competitiveness. Britain has been a pioneer in agri-environmental schemes, but these are currently running out of steam - in part because of over prescriptive EU rules. "We must take this opportunity to devise better schemes," the NFU said.
• If there was one message which came over loud and clear in farmer meetings it was frustration with European regulation and its handling of product approvals, due to an over-politicised approach and excessive use of the precautionary principle. British farmers now have a golden opportunity to ensure arrangements are in future proportionate and based on sound science.
