2016-07-11 |
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TFA Promotes Post Brexit Vision at Great Yorkshire Show
The Tenant Farmers Association will be promoting its post Brexit agricultural policy at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate this week.
Produced in April and adjusted in light of the referendum result, the TFA’s policy envisages a radical change in the way that British farming should be supported.
TFA
National Chairman Stephen Wyrill said;
“Unlike other organisations,
I am pleased the TFA thought about the shape of a post Brexit agricultural
policy long before the result of the referendum was known. This
has enabled the TFA to hit the ground running with Ministers, Civil
Servants and other stakeholders rather than scrabbling around for
a viable plan”.
“Having made the decision to leave the EU it is important that we use our new found freedoms to develop a farm policy which delivers success for British farming including within the devolved administrations of our country”.
“We should retain the current budget and spend it through three new pillars. Firstly one to create a properly constituted, outcome focused agri-environment scheme which properly rewards individuals for environmental management. Secondly there should be an infrastructural grant scheme to encourage the development of farm businesses taking into account economic, social and environmental resilience. Thirdly, a pillar using public funding to promote British farm products, funds near market research, develops public procurement of British food and promotes import substitution whilst finding beneficial export markets for our farm products,” said Mr Wyrill.
“We also have some messages for Government on trade. To date we have relied upon the European Union to negotiate our trade deals. We now need highly skilled negotiators within the British civil service to assist our industry in having fair access to overseas markets for agricultural products but also to ensure that British agriculture does not become the lever used to develop export markets in non-farming areas by granting unfavourable market access deals which will impact upon domestic markets in agricultural produce,” said Mr Wyrill.
“Whilst we await the appointment of the next Prime Minister and cabinet there is much that can be done to develop the groundwork on a new policy framework for agriculture and the TFA is fully engaged in making this a reality,” said Mr Wyrill.
