2018-07-18 |
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NSA Prepares for the Possibility of ‘No Deal’ on Brexit
The worse-case scenario for the UK sheep sector, a ‘no deal’ on Brexit, is a possibility the sheep sector needs to prepare for, according to the National Sheep Association (NSA).
Phil
Stocker, NSA Chief Executive, says:
“Given that the vast
majority of the 35% of UK lamb exported from the UK goes into
the EU, we absolutely do not want a no deal on Brexit. However,
it would be irresponsible not to be ready and prepare for this
possibility. That means stepping up efforts to open up new export
markets outside of the EU, doing much more to boost domestic
demand for sheepmeat, and protecting ourselves from imports.
These are all things that will make sense for the sector even
if we do get a deal, so it’s a win-win to do put the work in
now.
Farming Minister George Eustice
Mr Stocker was speaking at the opening ceremony of NSA Sheep 2018, held on Wednesday 18th July at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire. He was joined by Lord Inglewood, NSA President, who explained the role of the House of Lords in the ongoing Brexit negotiations in Westminster. Farming Minister George Eustice, who sent a pre-prepared video message for the event, was unable to attend in person because of those negotiations, having to be in the Houses of Parliament for key votes this week.
Mr Stocker said:
“Negotiations could still go very badly wrong and there is a risk
we could crash out, fall back to WTO rules and face huge trade
disruption – so we need to be ready and that is why it’s important
to prepare for a no deal.
“All the consultations and white papers to date include a lot of welcome words, but the careful choice of words can be interpreted as being encouraging almost from wherever you sit, and it cannot be long now before more detail will have to come through and decisions be made. Words are easy to say. Putting them into action is another matter and that is where we now need to focus our attention.”
With the future of trade very much in the hands of the politicians, Mr Stocker went on to speak about areas where NSA is working with partner organisations to resolve problems the sheep sector has been facing for some time, including increasing domestic and international consumption of sheepmeat, traceability and sheep movement reporting, carcase splitting, price reporting and carcase classification, and sheep farming living alongside the natural environment.”
Mr Stocker said:
“Using Brexit and
the taking back control of some our regulatory functions, and a growing
change of attitude within Government departments to want to support
industry rather than constantly being fearful of compliance with EU
regulations, there are real opportunities to make progress.”
The opening ceremony was just one of several features at NSA Sheep 2018, an event bringing together sheep farmers, Government officials, key decision makers and trade organisations from across the UK sheep sector.
