‘We need a period of certainty’– farm groups

FOURTEEN farming organisations have come together to issue a joint statement on UK Government to provide short-term certainty for the industry as exiting the European Union and the Common Agricultural Policy draws closer.

The 14 organisations say Governments across the UK need to work together with the farmers and land managers to prepare for a new long-standing free trade agreement which retains and grows opportunities for food trade with the EU and the rest of the world.

They also call for commitments on transition that will see the UK remain in the Customs Union until a full free trade agreement is in place with the EU.

Welsh landowner and CLA President Ross Murray said: “Farmers and land managers will benefit from new opportunities in trade and agricultural policy.

"However, we must take the necessary time to put in place the right trade agreements and to develop and robustly test a new policy that will support farming and the environment for the longterm.

"We need a period of certainty in which this work can be done and we will continue to work with fellow farming organisations to achieve this.”

Aside from the joint statement, Mr Murray added: “It’s clear that people in England and Wales back the message that rural priorities must receive Government attention.

"Last week the CLA released research data which demonstrated that more than eight out of 10 people in England and Wales (82%) think the Government should spend money on preserving and managing the countryside, with 64% saying that the current UK spend of £3billion per year is either the right amount of public money to spend on it (40%) or too little (24%)."

The survey has been published following the CLA’s proposal that the much-criticised CAP based system of farm support be replaced post-Brexit – with a UK Framework for food, farming and the environment financed by Land Management Contract.

These flexible arrangements would remunerate farmers and land-managers for delivering a range of benefits for the whole of society.

The proposal was launched and well-received by the CLA at the Royal Welsh Show recently.