Many questions have arisen in the Rostons office as to the result of “Brexit” and implications for UK Agriculture. There are a large number of unknowns which are yet to be identified and many agricultural economists are highlighting a lot of the uncertainties in the media.
Basic Payment is a key consideration as this is an EU payment and, of course, if we exit the EU this payment will not be available to UK farmers. What replacement, if any, has not yet been discussed.
Carys Studley of Rostons comments that “trade is an extremely important consideration in the debate, particularly impacting on food and farm gate prices”. According to NFU research the EU’s average applied tariff for all agricultural products was 12.2%. In addition to this any EU dairy producer benefits from an average applied tariff of 42.1%, with meat at 17.7%.
Whilst there is a lot of hearsay and unknown in the media, it is important that for UK agriculture and a true understanding of the benefits and implications are explained in detail.
It is hoped over the forthcoming weeks that lobbying groups such as the NFU will be able to update their members as to the challenges ahead and we will also continue to update you on any additional information that becomes apparent.
For further information contact the Rostons office on 01829 773000