Brexit needs a united front

Arecent article in the The Courier on Pauls Malt pointed to a continuing demand for malting barley, which was welcome. But one line jumped out – it said the Maltsters Association would be making representation to Government regarding post-Brexit arrangements. This is entirely the wrong approach. We must act as a united industry, with a well thought-out set of proposals, bringing together all sectors – beef, milk, cereals, and pig and poultry producers, not forgetting fruit and vegetable growers dependant on foreign short-term labour.

Producer organisations must sit down with merchants and traders, processors and marketeers, levy bodies and Scottish Food and Drink. All have vested interests, some could work under any scenario, but most would suffer through uncertainty.

Can any of us detail what tariffs will apply on default if no beneficial trade arrangements are made with the EU?

There is widespread opposition to WTO regulations, due to unintended effects on third world countries, and China continues to ignore rulings with impunity. For those ignorant of tariffs, a look back in time provides lessons.

By the 1890s, the price of wheat had fallen to a third of the price in 1866. The repeal of the protectionist Corn Laws had had little effect due to poor harvests, then the US prairies came on full steam (literally, with the railroads) and the land-owning gentry lost political power to the industrial titans.

But, alone among the industrial countries in the 1890s, Britain refused to impose tariffs. Britain’s trade with its dominions allowed such freedom, as it remained the world’s foremost trading power, and sterling the currency of international trade.

Agriculture was sacrificed to allow cheap food, and thus to put pressure on industrial wages, as real prices for finished goods fell worldwide.

We now face a real challenge, to persuade policymakers and negotiators that a small percentage of the population has the ability to underpin huge exports and productive capacity, if given the support provided to our newly alienated cousins.

Now is not the time to repeat the mistakes of the past. The questions a pan-industry forum must address are many. What would the immediate effects of the various scenarios be?

The different sectors must gather the information to hand and condense it into a detailed set of problems, for which answers must be suggested.

The sums raised in taxes and in exports are staggering, and will present a powerful case.

We must provide an acceptable set of proposals, because 26 other countries will have a full and differing set of demands, backed up by vindictive civil servants. We have ministers with no experience. We can present them with a cast iron case to fight for.

You may think we are only one sector of the economy. But that would be one sector less for them to worry about.

The questions a pan-industry forum must address are many