‘Ambitions of new farm policy must be matched to Whitehall resources’
FARMING UNION boss Minette Batters wants “manageable” reform of agricultural policy to ensure Whitehall departments cope with the huge Brexit transition workload that MPs have branded an “impossible challenge”.
The union president said she was “understandably” concerned about the Government’s capability to deliver the work needed to prepare for Brexit following a report by the Public Accounts Committee which said the “pervasive uncertainty” about the UK’s future relationship with the EU is undermining the preparedness for Brexit of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for International Trade.
The Government has dismissed the concerns but Ms Batters said: “The report highlights the extra burden that departments like Defra are having to manage because of the ongoing uncertainty about what the Brexit settlement will look like.
“This underlines the importance of ensuring domestic policy reform stemming from Brexit remains manageable and realistic and does not further stretch the machinery of government.”
Her remarks came as Lord Teverson, chairman of the parliamentary EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee, wrote to Environment Secretary Michael Gove for clarity on the impact of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit and the readiness of Defra for such a scenario. His letter follows the issuing of notices by the European Commission that set out the ramifications if the UK leaves the EU without a withdrawal agreement.
Lord Teverson said the ramifications set out in the notices are significant, from extra paperwork for businesses in order to export to the EU to transporters of live animals needing certification from an EU member state to drive in to the EU.
He said meeting these requirements would be costly and could take time to put in place, adding: “We have written to the Secretary of State to ask what steps he has taken to ensure the UK is prepared for this eventuality.”