Brexit & Agriculture
The Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s ‘YAS Brexit Working Party’ was established in 2015 following concerns as to the impact of Britain’s exit from the EU (Brexit) on UK Agriculture highlighted by their technical network, the Farmer-Scientist Network.
The 'BREXIT' Working Party
The YAS Brexit Working Party brings together farmers within Yorkshire and academics across the UK who have specialist knowledge and expertise within agriculture, law and world trade, to name a few. Led by Prof Wyn Grant, University of Warwick, and member of the Farmer-Scientist Network, the YAS Working Party published the report ‘The Implications of ‘BREXIT for UK Agriculture’ in February 2016 during the lead up to the referendum vote on continued British membership of the EU. The purpose was not to recommend how anyone should vote in the referendum; rather, in order that, those involved in agriculture might be better informed about the consequences for them of a British exit, the report identified issues that needed to be clarified in the referendum debate.
On the 8th October 2018, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Inquiry Committee launched a short inquiry on the scope, provisions and powers proposed in the Agriculture Bill Inquiry. You can download the response from the YAS Brexit Working Party here
On the 27th February 2018, DEFRA launched their consultation to seek views on their proposal for the future agricultural policy in England: ‘Health and Harmony: the future for food, farming and the environment in a Green Brexit’. The YAS Brexit Working Party have once more come together to contribute to the consultation which closed on Tuesday 8th May 2018. The purpose of the YAS Brexit Working Party is to recommend a balanced and informed view on the proposal and to highlight any further aspects that the policy may need to consider.
You can read their response here
Previous reports from the YAS Brexit Working Party:
February 2017:
A series of papers to update farmers on the current considerations and consequences that will impact on the farming industry as we move towards developing new polices in preparation for our exit from the EU.
- Paper 1: The Future of Pillar 1 Subsidies by Professor Wyn Grant, University of Warwick
- Paper 2: Migrant Labour by Professor Wyn Grant, University of Warwick
- Paper 3: The Agri-Food Sector, Brexit and International Trade. This paper was commissioned and originally published by the Food Retail Consortium on the 17th January 2017
- Paper 4: Devolution Aspects of Brexit by Professor Alan Greer, University of the West of England
February 2016:
‘The Implications of ‘BREXIT for UK Agriculture’ report’s purpose was not to recommend how anyone should vote in the referendum on continued British membership of the EU. However, those involved in agriculture needed to be better informed about the consequences for them of a British exit. The report identified issues that needed to be clarified in the referendum debate.
Read the Executive Summary BREXIT report here
The full report ‘The implications of BREXIT for UK agriculture’ can be downloaded here
