Agriculture at centre of Brexit debate as common standards must be met

Farming and food identified as key areas

Agriculture is again at the centre of the Brexit debate at Westminster, with farming and food identified as areas where there will be common standards with the EU.

The Government Brexit plan confirms that the UK will leave the CAP, but beyond that things are less clear. It will be up to the EU-27 to decide what common standards must be met for free trade in food to continue.

In this debate, the EU-27 has more to lose, since it is a net food exporter to the UK. One positive is that, for now, the Defra minister, Michael Gove, has remained. This offers continuity in the preparations for a post-Brexit UK support plan.

MEPs on the parliament’s agriculture committee have backed the European Commission’s plans for legislation to outlaw unfair trade practices (UTPs) in the food chain.

They have called for the legislation to be extended to cover not just food but all agricultural produce. However, with the timetable tight to get legislation in place before the end of the present commission and parliament in 2019, they have been warned not to complicate the process with too many amendments.

The UTP rules will match or exceed the Grocery Code Adjudicator legislation in the UK.

Meanwhile, the new EU Austrian presidency has said it wants rules to allow anonymous reporting of unfair practices and robust protection for whistle blowers.

The Austrian presidency of the EU has set its agricultural priorities for its sixmonth term.

These include progress on the post2020 CAP, and Austria is pressing for simplification. It is also nailing its flag firmly to the cause of young farmers, deeming succession a priority and seeking a commitment that the family farm model will remain the policy driver.

Austria has half its farm land in mountains and 90% are family farms. It wants CAP policies that reflect this structure.

This highlights one potential loss with Brexit. The rotating EU presidency creates opportunities for member states to flag up the needs of their particular farm structures, ultimately delivering benefits for others.

Common sense appears to have broken out in a key European parliament committee over the EU approval system for pesticides.

A review was triggered by the problems faced renewing the licence for glyphosate. The environment committee has said approval decisions must be based on robust, independent scientific evidence and points out that the alternative of using the “precautionary principle” would lead to unfair bans.

The report, voted through by a big majority, also says that as well as risk to people, livestock or the environment, decisions must take account of the socioeconomic consequences of banning a particular product.

The MEPs say food security and the needs of a growing global population must also be taken on board in decisions.

Picture: Getty. Half of Austria’s farmland is in the mountains and 90% of units are family farms.