Gove defends Brexit work plans

While the number of workers allowed into the UK to pick fruit and vegetables under the current pilot seasonal agricultural wages scheme (SAWS) is “smaller than some would have wanted”, the “enthusiastic uptake” of the scheme will help make the case for a potential expansion in numbers.

That was the message give by UK Environment Secretary Michael Gove when he gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament’ s rural economy committee yesterday.

Speaking by tele-link, he said that he recognised the importance of access to labour for soft fruit growers in Angus and Perthshire – but added that if a deal was successfully thrashed out, there would still be freedom of move - ment for EU workers during any transition period, giving time for a new SAWS scheme to bed in.

However, there was little sign that the recently published schedule of tariff rates on food products imported from the EU under a no - deal scenario would be changed to align them with those being charged on UK goods going to Europe.

Conservative MSP Peter Chapman, asking the secretary of state to reconsider the proposals, said that other than the sheep industry and to a limited extent the beef sector, they did little to secure the interests of the industry.

Gove said that list had been drawn up tob alance the needs of vulnerable farming sectors with a desire to keep food prices low and said that agriculture was being protected “more vigorously” than other sectors.

And he added that there were“other ways” of protecting the industry and encouraging it to invest and improve productivity levels.