The repercussions of Britain voting to leave the European Union was the main talking point during a meeting of Future Farmers at this year’s Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate.
Speaking at the event Meurig Raymond, NFU president, said that there was a lot of work ahead and that the task in hand the was to turn the challenges into opportunities.
He said that although Britain is leaving the EU, Europe will remain a major export market and that any tariffs added to British exports would be a big disadvantage.
He said he was concerned that a cabinet could negotiate trade deals where British exports into Europe are heavily tariffed while at the same time the doors were opened to cheaper imports from around the world.
Turning to the Government, Meurig welcomed Theresa May becoming Prime Minister, saying that he hoped it would bring some certainty.
He also gave his backing to Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss, saying that he would ‘dearly like to see the present team at DEFRA returned.’
But during Theresa May's Cabinet re-shuffle today, Truss has moved from her role as Environment Secretary to Justice Secretary.
Meurig said the message to the Government at this stage was the ‘importance of food and farming to the UK economy.’
Professor Wyn Grant, professor of politics at the University of Warwick, said that subsidies were clearly a matter of concern for many farmers.
He said that the Government was likely to keep the basic payment structure but said he believed the amount of money paid out would reduce ‘quite significantly’ over time.
He also ruled out any return to the deficiency payments that were used before Britain joined the common market.
Professor Grant also said that during the referendum debate agriculture and food production did not get the attention it required and he was concerned that the same may happen in the Article 50 negotiations.
