Farming unions and organisations have reacted to Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. The result, delivered around 6am on Friday, has seen sterling fall to 31-year lows and led Prime Minister David Cameron to announce his resignation. Environment Secretary Liz Truss, who backed the remain campaign ahead of the referendum, paid tribute to David Cameron on Friday morning.

On Friday morning, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that the referendum result makes a second referendum on Scottish independence “Highly likely.” Scotland overwhelmingly voted to remain.

The Prime Minister has invoked article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, meaning Britain will become the first member state to cede from the EU.

Farm unions have been quick to call meetings with political leaders to raise awareness of farmers’ position in this new political landscape and attempt to gain more certainty on what food and farming policies can be expected from governments post-Brexit.

Reacting to the news, the Farmers Union of Wales called on EU and UK leaders to negotiate a “Sensible timetable for Brexit,” warning that a rapid exit would harm both the UK and EU. On Friday, FUW president Glyn Roberts said, “The FUW supported the remain campaign and was a member of Stronger In Europe, so we are naturally disappointed with the outcome.”

The Union has called meetings with the Welsh Government and Westminster government to discuss the impacts from an agricultural perspective. Glen Roberts said, “There is a monumental amount of work to do in terms of changing domestic arrangements and legislation, including in terms of Welsh devolved legislation, not to mention unravelling us from the EU budget to which we were previously committed, negotiating trade deals and dealing with issues such as border controls. Such issues will also require a huge amount of work at the EU level, and we do not believe a rapid exit over a couple of years would be in either the UK or the EU’s interests.”

FUW is also in contact with non-EU states like Switzerland and Norway, to gain knowledge and help planning in the face of an impending exit from the EU. However, experts have said that the experience of these states, which have never been EU members, may not be desirable or even open to the UK. A Farming Online piece, available here, looked into possible outcomes for agriculture in February, based on Norway’s relationship with the EU.

NFU Scotland: vote will have ‘huge ramifications’ for Scotland’s farmers

Speaking from The Highland Show on Friday, NFU Scotland’s President Allan Bowie said, “The vote for the UK to leave the European Union brings few certainties as to what will happen in the weeks and months ahead but an intense period of negotiation will begin and a negotiated exit from the EU is expected to take a minimum of two years. There is a need for discussions [on food and farming policy] to commence quickly so that the many businesses who benefit from support from the CAP and value the markets we have established for our produce in Europe and further afield can plan for the future. Significant sectors of our industry are also very reliant on a workforce sourced from other parts of the EU and we need to establish any implications for their businesses.

“What will be key for Scottish agriculture will be delivery on the commitments made in the campaign about support levels for agriculture in the event of a Brexit vote and to seek reassurances on terms of trade with rest of Europe and worldwide in the future.”

Turning to the Prime Minister’s resignation, Bowie said, “The political landscape across the UK is now in a period of flux and speculation is likely to be unhelpful. What is clear, is that there was strong support to remain in the EU across every part of Scotland and that was in stark contrast to the majority of the UK.

“There is considerable debate already as to what the EU referendum means with regards to any potential future vote on Scottish independence.  It is also apparent that the UK vote to leave has wider ramifications for the future structure of the EU. We need to avoid knee-jerk reactions at this time. There has been a seismic shift in our political landscape in the last 24hrs and we need a period of stability – not least to allow our financial markets and economy to stabilise - before further major decisions should be made.”  

The Tenant Farmers Association has also contacted the UK and Welsh governments in the wake of the referendum results. TFA chief executive George Dunn said, “Agricultural policy will be the main focus of activity for the TFA and having already set out a potential draft policy for the situation within which we now find ourselves, we will be using that as a basis for beginning our discussions with the English and Welsh Governments to gain early traction to ensure that the farming community is not forgotten as we build new, domestic policies from the bottom up.”

He added, “The debate leading up to yesterday’s referendum has been passionate but divisive and we now need to work on building a new consensus about how we build a post-EU Britain.  As with the rest of the nation, the farming community has had split views on whether it was right to remain a member or leave the European Union but we must all now deal with the reality of the situation within which we find ourselves.”

In a statement on Friday morning organic farming charity the Soil Association said it is “Very disappointed” by the vote, saying environmental conservation and protection will likely be much more difficult to achieve outside the EU. The Association statement adds “UK wildlife, the environment and the organic farming sector have been major beneficiaries of EU membership, where the precautionary principle prevails in policy making. Thanks to EU policy, the UK has cleaned up its act as ‘the dirty man of Europe’ and now has cleaner beaches, rivers and better protection for wildlife, including our vital pollinators as a direct result of EU membership. It is vital that these gains are secured.”

The organisation has pledged to work with the government to develop new policy and solutions, and said, “Those communities who are most vulnerable such as those on low incomes and upland farmers need to be foremost in our minds as we consider what policies should be developed over the next couple of years.”