A director of a leading rural firm has urged the farming industry to work together for a better future and says it’s time to look forward with optimism after the Brexit vote.
David Giles, from Shrewsbury-based Halls, believes people who voted for Britain to remain in the European Union are still reluctant to accept the outcome, which is "wasting time and energy."
"Instead they should be looking at the opportunities going forward, particularly on the export front, with a lower valued pound already giving farm commodity prices a reasonable boost," he said.
"One thing we all voted for was a reduction in rules and regulations which I believe is now the duty of the Government to deliver.
"There can be no more hiding behind European bureaucracy, but the politicians must be strong enough to instruct the Whitehall bureaucrats to deliver what the people want.
"The big question is who will win? Will it be business and the working people, or will it be Whitehall protecting its own gravy train?"
In an effort to support the Government, he backed the move by the Livestock Auctioneers Association to bring together 10 UK livestock industry organisations to develop a framework for the future of the industry.
'Working together for better future'
“As usual, not everyone has joined in but we need more of this working together to ensure a better future,” he added.
“I think we can be confident that property and land values will remain strong, certainly for the top end, with better returns starting to come through.
“Low cost borrowing is going to be with us for a very long time, a tax regime that stays user friendly and, with a good amount of rollover money available, the future must surely be bright.
"It is so fundamental to retain a good asset base, which gives everyone security and a way out if they so decide.”
He questioned the latest survey from RICS and the Royal Agricultural University, which reported a sharp fall in demand for rural land in the past six months.
He maintained that Halls had not seen a sharp drop in demand.
The survey stated that, over the longer term, farmland is still seen as a safe asset and desirable to investors, with rollover money continuing to underpin demand.
Mr Giles welcomed the stability provided by the Government’s recent announcement that the Common Agricultural Policy would be kept in place until 2020 and agri-environment schemes agreed before the Autumn Statement will be protected.
