We’ll put our farmers first, says Gove

BREXIT will allow the Government to sign deals worth billions with British farmers instead of being forced to buy food imports from the European Union, the Environment Secretary has claimed.

Currently, ministers are banned by EU rules from choosing domestic produce ahead of foreign imports – but Michael Gove said he would use the ‘immense buying power of the public purse to properly support British food producers’.

Addressing the National Farmers’ Union conference in Birmingham, Mr Gove added: ‘Changing how Government procures food can help drive the change we all want to see – we can use public money to reward British farmers and food producers who grow healthy food in a sustainable fashion, we can

invest more in local food economies and we can support higher environmental standards.’

Mr Gove also backed a ‘seasonal agricultural workers scheme’ to let migrants take short-term jobs picking fruit and vegetables. A scheme allowing East Europeans to work on British farms ended in 2013, when curbs on workers from those countries were lifted.