Farming unions in the UK’s devolved nations have added to the Brexit debate and demanded more information on what would come after if the UK left the union.

With a vote on Britain’s future in Europe set for 23rd June, environment secretary Liz Truss used her speech at this week’s NFU conference to outline how UK agriculture “would be stronger, safer and better off in a reformed Europe”, though her subordinate farming minister George Eustice has claimed British farmers would be better served outside the EU.

On Thursday, the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) president Ian Marshall said that, so far, there has been no "compelling argument” to suggest that British agriculture would be in a more favourable position outside Europe. Even so, by Friday morning, a poll run by Farmers’ Weekly with over 1,500 respondents showed over 70 percent were in favour of leaving the EU and UFU has called on both camps to set out their vision of the future for agriculture.

Marshall said, “The CAP is vital for farm incomes and no alternative support measures have been put forward by Brexit advocates.  In addition the EU is our biggest export market, and we would need firm assurances about access to that market, should the UK vote to leave. We recognise the many problems of the CAP and have real concerns about the bureaucracy that surrounds it.  This has to change, and if the UK remains in the EU we would hope the government would be more vocal in pressing for that to happen.”

He added, “Because of the importance of CAP funding, and in the absence of a compelling case being made that farming would be financially better off outside the EU, our view for now is it will fare better in the EU,” but said the UFU would not be telling its members how they should vote.

On Friday, the Farmers Union of Wales (FUW) also called for clarification for farmers, saying a contingency plan in the case of an exit is absolutely necessary.  FUW Managing Director Alan Davies said, “Defra Minister George Eustice recently hinted what a contingency plan for agriculture could look like but there are apparently no firm or detailed plans in the pipeline and what is being said is little better than speculation.”

The Welsh union’s calls came after farming minister George Eustice made speculations about policy in an independent Britain. He implied that a similar system to current area payments would ‘probably’ be kept in place, but that the budget for farm payments would be slashed by around a third. Debating the impact of a Brexit scenario on agriculture at the NFU conference this week, former MEP George Lyon said agriculture would be forced to compete with other sectors for funding in an independent Britain. Experts have also pointed out that those claiming farming payments could be maintained after Brexit are not in a position of power to deliver on these promises.

On Friday, FUW’s Mr Davies said, “Mr Eustice’s indication that the payment budget could be cut so significantly will for many confirm a key fear that support for rural areas will diminish if we leave the EU – after all, successive UK Governments have been at the forefront of moves to reduce the CAP budget for years.”

Echoing UFU’s Mr Mashall’s statement of the previous day, he added, “We have yet to see any evidence that leaving the EU will have any significant impact on the rules and regulations that many criticise. We do have plenty of evidence published by successive UK Governments that support for farming, rural communities and food security will quickly dissolve once we are outside the EU.”

This week, Farming minister Eustice began to set out his vision, which revolves around freeing the UK from EU regulation. However, the experience of other European states who are outside the bloc but maintain close trading links with the EU is that these ties come with regulatory conditions; as a trading partner, the EU is more valuable to the UK than vice versa.

Criticising the regulatory atmosphere in The Telegraph this week, Eustice said, “The combined effect of having complex, all pervasive regulations and a draconian and unpredictable system of fines creates an atmosphere of perpetual legal jeopardy in a department like Defra.”

Speaking at the NFU Conference in Birmingham, Mr Eustice said he has advocated reform within Europe for 15 years, but now the only way to deliver his desired changes is to campaign to leave the union. He claimed that, as a net contributor, outside the EU the government would be able to provide more support for farmers and the environment.

However, Defra secretary Liz Truss, who is backing the Prime Minister’s campaign to remain part of the union,  said, “I believe that by voting to remain we can work within a reformed EU to reduce bureaucracy and secure further reform while still enjoying the significant benefits of the single market which gives us access to 500 million consumers. We are able to export our high quality products freely without the trade barriers we deal with elsewhere and with a say in the rules.

“At a time of severe price volatility and global market uncertainty – I believe it would be wrong to take a leap into the dark. The years of complication and risk caused by negotiating withdrawal would be a distraction from our efforts to build a world-leading food and farming industry.”

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Survey results as of 9AM 07/03/2016:

Q1. In: 34.12% Out: 49.26% Undecided: 16.62%

Q2. In: 40.79% Out: 40.79% Undecided: 18.42%

Respondents: 332