The response to our poll indicates that members favour the UK remaining a member of the EU and the majority want Co-operatives UK to speak out on the issue.

Brexit, pursued by a scare

That said, this was a limited sample and the informal feedback we received was that many co-operatives, including our largest member, the Co-op Group, will not themselves take a formal position. The prominent exception is in farming.

With a turnover of £6bn a year and over 600 co-operatives, farming constitutes the second largest part of the co-operative sector. James Graham, the chief executive of the Scottish farming co-op body, SAOS, wrote in the Co-operative News earlier this year “it is rare to speak to anyone in the industry here who advocates leaving.”

Co-operatives UK is a voice for the sector, from farming to fair trade, but what we say is not, and never has been, binding on our members – the choice on how to vote is theirs alone.

We work with individual co-operatives every day, ensuring we meet their needs. Sometimes, though, an issue goes beyond the needs of individual members and the direction taken is determined by the co-operative values which are the lifeblood of our movement.

The reason why we believe in remaining in the EU, is that internationalism has been at the heart of the co-operative movement since its origins 150 years ago

It is within this broad context that Co-operatives UK, led by its elected board of directors, is standing up for remaining in the EU.

There are practical reasons for staying in the EU, of course. A vote to stay means continuity for co-op businesses. And, although little EU law relates to co-operatives specifically, farmer support is well established and many of the worker and consumer rights championed by the sector – from the eight hour working day to the Fair Tax Mark – are reflected in European regulation.