Farming Minister George Eustice has said he will be backing the campaign to bring the UK out of the EU, putting him in conflict with Defra Secretary Liz Truss, who will be joining the Prime Minister in his calls for Britain to remain a member of the Union.
Truss said it was in Britain's economic interest and 'means we can focus on vital economic and social reform at home.'
Prime Minister Cameron called the referendum for 23 June and Eustice said he deserved 'huge credit' for delivering the referendum.
"We now have an opportunity to debate our future, how we are governed and how our laws are made" he said.
"I have been an advocate of renegotiation for fifteen years but, in the end, despite the endeavours of David Cameron, the sort of fundamental reform I wanted to see was not possible.
"I have therefore come to the conclusion that the only way to deliver the change I want to see is to vote to leave and end the supremacy of EU law.
"I believe if this country has the courage to act decisively and take control, then in five years’ time the only question people will ask is why we didn’t do it sooner."
Farmers would benefit leaving the EU
Former Defra minister Owen Paterson recently called for the UK to leave the EU, saying farmers would be free from EU directives and subsidy policies which were hampering development.
He said money could be better used in a targeted and efficient manner.
"I believe that the United Kingdom has a great future beyond the political arrangements of the European Union," Paterson said at the Oxford Farming Conference.
"Agriculture and food production is hampered by our membership of the Common Agricultural Policy. CAP negotiations between 28 countries inevitably mean that we have to accept compromises, these are at best deeply unsatisfactory and at worst actively damaging to UK farmers."
More advantages as a member of the EU
NFU Scotland said the overall benefits of staying in the EU outweigh any advantages rural businesses would gain from leaving.
Andrew McCornick, NFU Scotland Vice President commented: “Put simply, the interests of agriculture in Europe are clear – farmers would prefer to farm without the financial support they receive from the EU, but the reality is that most farms don’t make enough from the market for this to be possible.
"A further issue is access to the European single market, which allows tariff-free trade amongst all member states. The EU’s negotiating position has also allowed trade agreements to be opened with some 50 international partners in recent years. This is of great importance to Scotland’s food and drink industry, which continues to exceed targets and had an export value of £5.1 billion in 2014.
"For farmers to vote to leave the European Union, they need to know what the trading arrangements with the rest of Europe would be – would Scotland be able to continue to trade tariff-free with Europe or would our lamb, beef and other key farm exports face a tariff barrier? Would access to important overseas markets remain or would the UK have to start over again in negotiations?
"Access to markets is vital and clarity is required on what this would look like should the vote be to leave the European Union."
Farming Minister George Eustice has declared his support for the case for the UK to leave the EU.
The CLA has called on him to answer member questions about what a Brexit would mean for farming and the wider rural economy.
CLA President Ross Murray said: “We respect the Farming Minister’s decision to support the campaign for the UK to leave the EU. As the person who has been responsible for farming policy since 2013, he is uniquely placed to spell out a vision for how UK farmers can trade with EU and the rest of the world; and the future of rural economy outside the common agricultural policy.
“Ten days ago the Minister told a farming conference that the onus would be on the Brexit campaign to set out a vision for agriculture in the event the UK decides to leave the EU. Now he has declared his position the onus is on him to do so.
Mr Murray’s comments follow a commitment made by the CLA to ensure that rural issues are not forgotten in this important campaign. He said: “We will not be telling our members how to vote, but we will be playing a full part in this vitally important debate between now and June 23rd. It is vital that our members and the wider rural business community have the best information possible to help them decide how to vote.”
