Prepare for a ‘long and messy’ divorce from EU warns Rogers

The UK’S farmers – along with its politicians and businessmen – will have to prepare themselves for discussions which will be “long and messy” once negotiations proper begin on the shape of UK/EU trade deals.

That was the view given to an audience of farmers and growers by former UK permanent representative to the EU Sir Ivan Rogers when he gave the NFU’S inaugural Henry Plumb Lecture yesterday.

As one of the most knowledgeable voices on UK-EU relations, Rogers spoke about the implications for the UK, and those specifically for agriculture, of withdrawing from the Single Market and Customs Union in 2019.

“Be ready, when a trade negotiation with the EU really gets under way after exit, for a highly complex game of chess in which you will need to try to be very clear about the most important objectives the UK government needs to try and secure, but also pragmatic that these are not likely to replicate what you have now,” he told the audience of more than 200.

Stating that farmers should be aware of the Brussels line – “nothing is agreed in a trade deal until everything is agreed” – and not to rely too heavily on early indications from the talks..

“The EU27 will negotiate internally their own mandate for these trade negotiations with the UK, which will take them quite some time to conclude, and any deal agreed would need to be ratified by all their national Parliaments, after we have left the EU,” he said.

“That process will have its own joys – and delays,” he added.