Vision for the Future of Farming. A new domestic agricultural policy. Delivering for farmers and for the public

Background
The United Kingdom National Farmers Union (NFU) launched on the 1 July 2016 UK farming’s most significant consultation over the impact of Brexit on agriculture and what a domestic farming policy should look like in the future outside the EU.

NFU President Meurig Raymond said the UK Government must not ignore the economic importance of the farming sector – it was the bedrock of the UK’s largest manufacturing industry, food and drink, which is worth £108bn. This industry employed 3.9m people. In March 2017 the NFU published the first of a series of reports setting out its Vision for the Future of Farming. The paper covered the key issues that would impact on British farming and that must be addressed now the Government had triggered Article 50.

The report detailed the framework being proposed and consisted of three ‘cornerstones’:

+ Productivity measures and business resilience;
+ Volatility mitigation measures and management tools; +
+ Environmental measures.

The vision explained what the NFU believed was needed for a thriving farming sector post Brexit and outlined the approach Government and industry must take to support UK agriculture once the UK had left the EU and no longer governed by the Common Agricultural Policy.

However, the report stressed the focus of the policy would be dependent on the deal the Government achieved with Brexit. If the Government secured a free trading arrangement with the EU, ensured UK farmers were not disadvantaged by future trade deals outside the EU, and ensured the industry’s labour needs were met, then farmers could consider an ambitious new policy - one that was designed specifically for the UK domestic farming sector, involving a wide range of measures which focused on productive, resilient, sustainable and profitable farm businesses. If there was a bad deal for farming, then measures to manage volatility - such as direct payments - would remain vital to help farm businesses compete in an uncertain world.

• Primary Source

ESO: In Focus: Brexit - The United Kingdom and the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/brexit-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union/

ESO: Background information: Implications of a UK exit from the EU for British agriculture (NFU, April 2016) http://www.europeansources.info/record/implications-of-a-uk-exit-from-the-eu-for-british-agriculture-april-2016/

NFU: Press Release, 29.03.17: Our Vision for a Future of Farming https://www.nfuonline.com/news/press-centre/press-releases/our-vision-for-a-future-of-farming/

NFU: Report: Vision for the Future of Farming: Access to a Competent and Flexible Workforce. Delivering for farmers and for the public, July 2017 https://www.nfuonline.com/assets/97783

NFU: Report: Vision for the Future of Farming: A New Outlook on International Trade here, June 2017 https://www.nfuonline.com/a-new-outlook-on-international-trade-june-2017/

NFU: Press Release, 04.08.17: August 6 - the day our larder would run bare... https://www.nfuonline.com/news/latest-news/august-6-the-day-our-larder-would-run-bare/

The Guardian, 05.08.17: Brexit could leave Britain with a bare larder, farmers warn https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/05/brexit-could-leave-britain-with-a-bare-larder-farmers-warn

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