Farmers braced for hardship if no deal agreed on EU departure

Farmers could face serious financial pressures if the government pushes through with a ‘no deal’ Brexit - with some struggling to survive without support to help them weather the immediate aftermath.

The warning has come from the chairman of the Kent NFU Toby Williams, who said farmers could face significant additional costs if the UK left the EU without a deal.

He said: “We have been calling for a Brexit deal as the best way forward but there is a lot of uncertainty.

“We are in uncharted territory because there is a paralysis in government because of Brexit.”

He added many farmers relied on supplies from other countries as well as selling produce and livestock to the EU.

He said livestock farmers faced particular problems.

“If we leave without a deal and the tariffs go up, farmers will sell livestock at lower prices but if they don’t sell abroad, it will need to be looked after and fed and that will have an additional financial impact.”

He echoed calls made by business chiefs in Kent who feared that a government bailout fund would be focused on bigger manufacturers.

“If we get to a situation where exports might not happen, is the government going to step in and bolster support with financial assistance as it has done with other industries? We just don’t know.

“We get warm words but there is no commitment. We are getting closer and closer to judgment day and there is no clarity.

“We have always argued for a deal because the impact of not having one could be devastating.”

According to a new report by former NFU chief economist Dr Sean Rickard, more than half of UK farms could go out of business if Britain left without a deal.

Toby Williams, Kent NFU chairman, fears for a ‘no deal’ Brexit on his sector