Mccornick demands clarity over UK powers
With agriculture standing centre stage in the battle over powers set to be repatriated from the EU after Brexit, farming bodies yesterday called for a speedy resolution to the on-going game of political brinksmanship.
And while NFU Scotland president Andrew Mccornick yesterday welcomed the UK government’s identification of the 24 areas on which agreement had yet be made, he said: “A public statement on returning powers is a step forward. However, for the Scottish farming and food sectors, many of our key priorities lie within those 24 policy areas identified as needing further detailed discussions.”
He said that with just over a year until the UK left the EU, discussions could not be subject to further delays and deliberations: “Scottish farmers and crofters are taking business decisions now around their livestock and crops that will affect their bottom line in autumn 2019.
“We accept that in certain areas – animal health, traceability and welfare; plant protection products; food labelling; plant health – common frameworks within the UK are a necessity to allow our internal market to function,” said Mccornick.
“However, decisions on Scotland’s allocation of agricultural funding and absolute recognition that Scotland can decide on agricultural policy priorities to suit our unique farming and crofting landscape must be agreed to allow us to move on.”
The 24 policy areas of contention revealed in an unprecedented move by the Cabinet Office which the UK government believed required a UK legislative framework b y rolling over existing EU law in Uk-wide law – albeit for a “temporary period” – include: animal health and traceability; food and feed safety and hygiene law; food labelling; and chemical regulation.
Revealing the list of points, David Lidington MP said: “We are publishing this material today because this can no longer just be a conversation between governments – this process has to be open and transparent. These issues are of central importance to Parliament and the devolved legislatures, as well as businesses and wider stakeholders whose day to day activities will be affected by these decisions.
“The UK government have moved a considerable distance to accommodate the concerns of the devolved government and other parliamentarians. It is now time for others to engage in a similarly constructive manner. We have not yet been able to reach an agreed way forward on Clause 11 but I remain hopeful that we will still be able to.”
In response, Holyrood’s Brexit minister Mike Russell said: “This list simply confirms the UK government’s plans for a power grab. Under the EU Withdrawal Bill the UK will have the right to take control of any of the powers on this list.”
He added that the publication of the categories demonstrated that the threat was most immediate in key devolved areas such as agriculture, geneticallyh modified crops, fishing, environmental policy, public procurement and food standards.