The Tenant Farmers Association has called on Defra to begin the process of setting the agenda for the next incarnation of farm policy in the UK regardless of the EU Referendum outcome.
TFA Chief Executive George Dunn said: "Whether the EU Referendum produces a majority in favour of leaving or remaining in the EU, UK Governments should waste no time in developing thinking on what farm policy should look like for these islands.
"Obviously if there is a vote to leave the EU we will be in a position of having to consider radical changes but even if there is a vote to stay we must lead the debate, which is already underway within Europe, on the future for the Common Agricultural Policy”.
"In a Brexit scenario there will be a substantial number of issues to deal with and the farming voice must not be lost in negotiations which take place to separate ourselves from the EU and in building new policy frameworks for the way ahead.
"Those in the Brexit camp have been keen to highlight the importance of continuing to support farming if the UK was to leave the EU and the TFA will press to ensure that the farming voice is heard loud and clear from the start of any process to develop independent policy frameworks," said Mr Dunn.
Next reform of CAP
"In the event that the Referendum produces a majority in favour of remaining in the EU, it will be just as important to gain early traction on the development of ideas for the next reform of the CAP which is now only a few short years away and around which views are already being developed in European institutions and in other Member States.
"We will not want to be behind the curve in seeking to influence the debate for the benefit of domestic producers and consumers," said Mr Dunn.
Although there has been criticism of the Government in not putting forward a plan B for British agriculture should it fail to convince the British public to retain membership of the EU, the TFA has itself published a post Brexit plan for UK agriculture.
"The TFA has attempted to speak into the vacuum left by the Government on what the UK might do if it repatriated agricultural support in a Brexit scenario.
"We have published that plan on our website as a focus for debate and will be the place we will start in the event of a vote to leave the EU.
"However, we have also focused on reforms that we will need to see to the CAP in the event that we remain members of the EU.
"This includes placing sensible ceilings on direct payments, moving towards a better reward structure for agri-environment schemes and abolishing the ability for landlords to enter agri-environment schemes on land occupied by farm tenants," said Mr Dunn.
