British farmers say ‘no deal’ Brexit would be an ‘Armageddon scenario’ NFU president Minette Batters said the food sector could be on the “brink of collapse”.

The National Farmers’ Union said a ‘no deal’ Brexit would lead to an “Armageddon scenario” for the British agricultural industry.

NFU president Minette Batters warned that “crashing out of the EU” with no trade deals in place must be avoided, and previously said Brexit could well leave the farming sector on the “brink of collapse”.

Ms Batters used her speech at the Royal Welsh Show this week to say: “Crashing out without a deal. That is the Armageddon scenario. That has to be avoided”.

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Farmageddon

She also revealed she had recently held talks with Theresa May, who assured her that agri-food is “back on the Brexit agenda”, Farmers Weekly reported.

The NFU position is held across England and Wales (NFU Scotland is separate).

I'm absolutely staggered that we have politicians championing the benefits of Brexit to deliver cheaper food. We have the third cheapest supply of food in the World. Every British citizen has a right to safe, quality, affordable and sustainably produced British food. #foodforall — minette batters (@Minette_Batters) July 26, 2018

At the Royal Welsh Show, the NFU and Greener UK – a group of 13 environmental organisations – said it is hard to foresee a “worse deal than no deal”, Farming UK reported.

‘Seismic shock’

First minister for Wales, Carwyn Jones, told FW farmers must be given full access to the market post-Brexit.

“Ninety per cent of our food and drink exports go to Europe,” he said. “If we can’t get our relationship right with Europe, we have nowhere else to sell at the right price.

“If we can’t get our relationship right with our closest and biggest market, what hope have we of getting a free-trade agreement with any other country?”

Mr Jones said the government should reconsider its stance on the Customs Union. The overall consensus is to stay in it. Tariffs, veterinary checks at ports, and ‘more bureaucracy’ could spell increased cost and time when importing and exporting to and from the EU.

NFU Cymru President John Davies said Welsh lamb is a particular area of concern. He said: “The key points to come out of today’s Brexit seminar are that access to key markets remains a huge concern for Welsh farmers, not least those in the sheep industry who currently see a third of the Welsh lamb crop go to the EU.

“I cannot stress strongly enough the importance of negotiators securing a deal that allows the industry to prosper post-Brexit”.

Leaving the Common Agricultural Policy

It is not just lamb facing difficulties, but all red meat. Farmers have talked about a “seismic shock” through rural communities if trade is fettered.

Meat Promotion Wales’ chairman Kevin Roberts said later in the week: “Tariffs at any level would be a tourniquet on trade – and the unthinkable, a no deal Brexit would be catastrophic for our stakeholders.

“To be blunt, in that scenario there would be no European exports.”

Theresa May was set to visit the Royal Welsh Show in Llanelwedd on Thursday 26 July.

The prime minister is to announce plans to replace the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy – which awards land-based subsidies to farmers – with a new system of public money for public goods.

Mrs May will say:

“Leaving the EU presents us with a unique opportunity to transform our food, farming and environmental policies so we can have a healthy and prosperous agricultural industry that is fit for the future, and helps us to leave the environment in a better place than we found it. Scrapping the Common Agricultural Policy, and introducing a simpler system which provides funds in return for public goods, like improving water quality, reducing emissions and planting wild flower meadows to boost biodiversity, is fundamental to our new approach. I want to make the most of the freedoms provided by Brexit to design a new scheme that is less bureaucratic, and does away with the overly prescriptive information farmers currently have to provide to apply for grants. And while our proposals are for England only, I look forward to working with the Farming unions, Welsh Government and stakeholders to best serve our farmers here as they develop a scheme specific to Wales.”

Additional reporting from PA