Brexit Hub

Like politicians, the general public have short memories, and however strongly they felt last year about ‘getting Brexit done’, realities that hit them in the pocket will lead to far more unrest than being sick of Brexit headlines, says FUW’s head of policy Dr Nick Fenwick.

In many ways, 2021 is the present we have been waiting for since the EU referendum in 2016. It is the year things really begin to change.

The Scottish and Welsh Governments are giving their farmers more time to prepare for big policy changes than Defra in England. It is small, family farmers who will pay the price for this rush to abolish direct support, says Labour Shadow Defra Secretary Luke Pollard.

Defra Secretary George Eustice’s claim that the sheep sector may not need no-deal support is a travesty, says Ceredigion Plaid Cymru MP Ben Lake.

The gap between agricultural policy could grow on either side of the Scottish border post-2024, as England moved towards environmental payments while Scotland was set to retain the ‘known quantity’ of the Basic Payment Scheme.

In the 80s, Thatcherism tore the heart out of British manufacturing, with long-term social consequences. We cannot let the same thing happen now to English farming, says Labour Shadow Defra Minister Daniel Zeichner.

With BPS on the way out, and Defra not yet ready to offer support which fills the gap, farmers must take steps now to survive the Brexit transition, says Dr Julia Aglionby, executive director at the FCL and chairwoman of the Uplands Alliance.

With direct payments on their way out, farmers should consider rewilding on marginal land to boost the income they make from food production, says Dr Stephanie Wray, director of RSK Wilding.

The PM must negotiate a three to six-month adjustment period as part of any EU trade deal, so farmers have time to prepare for the new relationship, says Mike Rumbles, North East Scotland MSP.

Welsh farming unions have accused the chancellor of a ‘Brexit betrayal’ after he announced a decision to slash Wales’ agricultural budget in last week’s spending review.