The NFU has set out proposals for how the new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme should work, after industry raised concerns about Defra’s ‘lacklustre’ plans.
Defra Secretary George Eustice has rejected calls from farming groups and MPs to put the Trade and Agriculture Commission on a statutory footing.
The Internal Market Bill will force all four UK nations to submit to the lowest common denominator when it comes to standards, selling farmers down the river, says Liberal Democrat agriculture spokesperson Tim Farron.
Brexit has been out of the headlines since Covid hit, but now it’s well and truly back in view and heading straight for us. It’s time to buckle up, says Cumbria livestock farmer Will Case.
Farmers have learned more than they ever wanted to know about trade and international treaties since Brexit, and it should not be too much to ask for those who govern us to do the same, says Dr Nick Fenwick, FUW’s head of policy.
Asking farmers to build on their progress and go even further to protect the countryside is the right thing to do, but they must be given as much support as possible from Government to get the job done, says High Peak MP Robert Largan.
The new trade deal agreed with Japan has been hailed as ‘potentially a great boost’ for UK food and farming products.
The NFU has hit back at Defra Secretary George Eustice’s claim that a no-deal Brexit will be a ‘good outcome’ for the UK.
Backing British farming is a verb – not a day for passive praise or casual thanks. MPs must prove they back British farmers all year round, says Labour’s Shadow Defra Secretary Luke Pollard.
Defra is planning to introduce a new ‘stepping stone’ scheme to bridge the gap between BPS and ELMs, but it should not weaken the resolve to introduce a long-term policy, or delay the timetable, says Vicki Hird, head of sustainable farming at Sustain.