Analysis of how rural areas voted in the EU Referendum shows that rural areas voted to leave the EU in greater numbers than the national average.
Voter turnout was exceptionally high with 72 percent of UK voters casting their ballot.
CLA analysis shows a total of 55.3 percent of voters from local authorities classified as 'rural' by the Office of National Statistics supported the vote to leave.
These statistics were calculated using the total number of votes cast in the local authority areas classified by the Office National Statistics as rural.
The CLA says: "The rural economy has been shaped by the agricultural and environmental policies of the EU.
"For more than 40 years the EU has provided the regulatory framework that governs the environment, trading relationships and the way business operates, and is the basis of significant investment decisions.
"Any change to the UK’s relationship with the EU has an impact on the rural economy and the way we manage our environment and landscapes.
"Throughout the campaign, the CLA did not seek to suggest how our members should vote in the referendum.
"Instead we called to ensure that those leading the debate on both sides were challenged with the right questions about how the rural economy would be sustained in the event of either outcome.
