‘Curb looney right or face a bloodbath’
EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan has said he hopes the general election in June will give Theresa May a stronger hand in facing down the “looney voices on the right of the Tory Party” and that Britain would remain within the EU’s Customs Union.
Mr Hogan also derided the PM’s plan to strike agreements with countries around the world as a fanciful notion of a new British Empire.
Speaking at a Brexit conference in Dublin, he suggested Trade Secretary Liam Fox’s push for cheap food imports from the US already signals a lowering of standards that risks a revolt from the public.
“Liam Fox is pushing for agriculture to be included in such [UK-US trade] discussions, claiming that Americans have been eating hormone beef and chlorine chicken perfectly safely for years, so what’s all the fuss about?” he said.
“Would British farmers and consumers accept hormone beef and chlorine chicken on their supermarket shelves? I seriously doubt it. There may yet be a bloodbath over these issues.”
Mr Hogan told the conference, organised by the Irish Farmers’ Association, that EU countries “can rest easy in the knowledge that our negotiating weight in trade deals means that our partners rise to our standards, rather than us lowering to theirs.”
A pronouncement by Mrs May, on the day Article 50 was triggered, that Britain will strike similar deals with other countries outside the EU was also questionable, he suggested.
“This aim, based on notions of an ‘Empire 2.0’, is somewhat fanciful when you look at the trade-offs the UK would have to submit to in order to do deals around the world,” he said.
However, he added he was encouraged by the Prime Minister’s remarks in more recent weeks now that “a greater sense of realism” had entered the Brexit debate.
“It is my hope that, over the course of the coming months, the British Government will recognise that the best way to maintain the freest possible trade in goods such as agrifood products is to remain in the Customs Union, and that sense will prevail,” he said.
Farming unions have urged candidates in the election to remember the crucial role of agriculture in the Welsh economy.
NFU Cymru president Stephen James said: “With farming arguably the sector most impacted by Brexit, NFU Cymru members will want to understand how each of the political parties plans to support profitable, productive and progressive agriculture for the future, including securing the right post-Brexit trade deal.
“With agriculture a devolved matter, we will also be looking to see what each of the parties has to say about working with the devolved administrations to ensure the best possible future arrangements for Welsh agriculture.
“British farms currently grow the raw ingredients for the UK food and drink manufacturing sector worth £108bn and moreover the public want to continue to buy British food. For that to happen, it’s vital that candidates recognise the enormous contribution that agriculture makes – for every £1 invested, farming delivers £7.40 back to this country – and back British farming.”
FUW president Glyn Roberts said: “The timing of this election will do nothing to aid progress in establishing a UK framework for agriculture and we therefore urge the Westminster Government not to ignore the critical issues at hand.
“As the independent voice for Welsh farming, the FUW will of course continue to remind all parties about the importance of the rural economy and why #FarmingMatters and is actively going to engage with candidates about the future of agriculture in the coming weeks.
“The union will shortly release its own general election manifesto outlining our expectations and will work throughout the campaign to ensure MPs understand that the future of the rural economy must be a national priority, now and in the years to come,” he said.