Sheep sector 'absolutely does not want' a no deal Brexit

The NSA used its flagship biennial event to prepare sheep sector for the possibility of ‘no deal’ on Brexit
The NSA used its flagship biennial event to prepare sheep sector for the possibility of ‘no deal’ on Brexit

The worse-case scenario for the UK sheep sector, a ‘no deal’ on Brexit, is a possibility the sheep sector needs to prepare for, a leading industry event heard.

According to the National Sheep Association (NSA), the sheep sector "absolutely does not want" a no deal on Brexit, given that the vast majority of the 35% of UK lamb exported from goes to the EU.

The association was speaking at the NSA Sheep 2018, held today (18 July) at the Three Counties Showground in Worcestershire.

Phil Stocker, NSA Chief Executive said at the event it would be "irresponsible" of the sector not to be ready and prepare for a possibility for a no deal Brexit.

“That means stepping up efforts to open up new export markets outside of the EU, doing much more to boost domestic demand for sheepmeat, and protecting ourselves from imports,” Mr Stocker said.

“These are all things that will make sense for the sector even if we do get a deal, so it’s a win-win to do put the work in now.”

Negotiations could still go wrong, and farmers fear there is a risk the UK could crash out, fall back to WTO rules and face huge trade disruption.

With the future of trade very much in the hands of the politicians, Mr Stocker went on to speak about areas where NSA is working with partner organisations to resolve problems the sheep sector has been facing for some time.

This includes increasing domestic and international consumption of sheepmeat, traceability and sheep movement reporting, carcase splitting, price reporting and carcase classification, and sheep farming living alongside the natural environment.

The NSA Chief Executive added: “Using Brexit and the taking back control of some our regulatory functions, and a growing change of attitude within Government departments to want to support industry rather than constantly being fearful of compliance with EU regulations, there are real opportunities to make progress.”

Mr Stocker was joined by Lord Inglewood, NSA President, who explained the role of the House of Lords in the ongoing Brexit negotiations in Westminster.