Britain’s departure from the EU has great implications for the agricultural sector of the UK economy:, creating 3 broad fields of uncertainty for the future of British farming:
1) Leaving the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) doesn’t just mean an end to the current system of farm subsidies, but has wide reaching consequences into all other aspects of agricultural policy.
2) Leaving the European Tax and Customs Union will lead to great changes to the terms of trade for agricultural goods. These include a) the introduction of customs checks that will cause delays in getting fresh produce to market, b) the introduction of additional documentation requirements that will lead to additional costs – and the potential for raising “phyto-sanitary barriers” to exclude UK produce from EU and non-EU markets, and most likely c) the introduction of tariffs that are disproportionately higher for agricultural goods.
3) Ending the Freedom of Movement of European citizens also raises concern over the availability of farm labour.
Moreover, the question over who will have the power to decide agricultural policy once Britain has left the EU has already started a debate as the devolved regions demand autonomy to set their own, whereas Westminster wants to be able to control over all economic policy including agriculture in order to make new trade deals. This is an issue that will be closely watched and debated in the readings of the Great Repeal Bill.
The articles in this section provide more information on the how Brexit affects agriculture in the UK.
Did you know that the EU has provided over £40 million to farmers in the TN postcode-area in 2017? Or £9 million towards research projects? Or almost £4 million to support jobs and growth? Or £35,000 towards a research project into explosive detection systems in Chislehurst? Or £30,000 to develop heat recovery systems in Westerham?
Find out about local EU spending across West Kent (and the whole country) at myeu.uk:
On Saturday 21st Oct, SSTIE, sponsored by WKEM, ran an all day Remainers to Campaigners workshop at Sevenoaks Community Center which attracted 96 delegates from across the South East.
The event, which was described as “highly inspiring” by many of the participants, had a highly ambitious agenda, covering all aspects of remain campaigning from practical issues such as setting up a local groups and establishing communication channels, to discussions over the importance of remaining in the EU, and the political and psychological barriers that need to be overcome. Continue reading “Remainers to Campaigners – Workshop Report”
The Cambridge Brexit Report is a collaboration between Cambridge for Europe, the Cambridge University European Society, The Wilberforce Society, Polygeia, and Cambridge Stays. It was commissioned by Daniel Zeichner MP, and is the second part of a project that began with a Conference on 24 February, entitled Cambridge and Brexit: Discussing our Future. This Conference brought together more than 100 Cambridge community members across the political spectrum in a series of presentations and discussions about the implications of Brexit on various sectors. Both the Conference and the Report seek to understand how we can work together in mapping the way forward for Britain after Brexit, and integrate both local and national perspectives.
The Cambridge Brexit Report consists of twelve chapters, covering the Economy, Trade and Business, the Pharmaceutical Industry, Creative Industries, Agriculture, Universities and Research, Freedom of Movement and Immigration, the Constitution, Devolution and the Regions, Human Rights, the Environment, and the NHS. Each has its own approach, structure, and conclusions.
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
These two recommendations cut across all chapters:
The Cambridge Brexit Report Introduction & Executive Summary Chapter I: The Economy Chapter II: Trade and Business Chapter III: The Pharmaceutical Industry Chapter IV: Creative Industries Chapter V: Agriculture Chapter VI: Universities and Research Chapter VII: Freedom of Movement and Immigration Chapter VIII: The Constitution Chapter IX: Devolution and the Regions Chapter X: Human Rights Chapter XI: The Environment & Climate Change Chapter XII: The NHS
A very insightful new study about Brexit written for the EU Constitutional Affairs Committee has just been published, providing what appears to be the most comprehensive analysis of legal steps for the Brexit process and options for the UK’s future with the EU so far.
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/
The parliamentary International Trade Committee has been interviewing subject specialists to provide insights into the legal and political dimensions of trading under WTO rules only.
This session on Parliament TV has particular emphasis on technical issues such as non-tariff barriers to trade agricultural trade, the legality of establishing a new farm subsidy system outside the CAP, and the practical difficulties of extracting the UK share from the EU in the WTO quota system.
PARLIAMENT TV: International Trade Committee – WTO Rules and UK Agriculture (excerpt)
