On Thursday, the House of Lords debated the impact of Brexit on farmers, and the government’s response to this as it prepares to begin negotiating Britain’s exit from the EU.

The debate was called by Conservative Baroness Anne McIntosh, a former shadow minister for environment, food and rural affairs and former chair of the EFRA Committee. Speaking on Thursday afternoon, Baroness Macintosh welcomed the new Defra team; a new minister and new secretary of state were appointed to the department after David Cameron’s resignation and Theresa May’s accession to the Premiership.

The former EFRA Committee chair said the food and farming sector is in a precarious position in the wake of last month’s Brexit vote, and compared Britain’s cessation from the Union with a breakup with 27 partners, commenting that, as such, the negotiations must be handled exceptionally sensitively.

She sought reassurances for farmers with agri-environment agreements that are due to expire before or during the UK’s projected exit from the EU and clarification on whether the UK government will preserve various environmental frameworks, after Britain cedes from the union.

Figures provided for the debate suggest that 80% of environment legislation comes from Europe, and this will have to be unpicked and remade as Britain disentangles itself over the coming years.

Baroness McIntosh also said any negotiations on Britain’s exit and future immigration policy will need to take into account seasonal migrant workers, who do all the picking and packing in Britain’s horticulture industry and for whom no apparent replacement exists. In doing so she echoed the NFU’s horticulture chair Ali Capper, who asked to speak to ministers tasked with negotiating Brexit and aired the industry’s concerns at the Fruit Focus event in Kent earlier this week.

Future trade relations

McIntosh said that more clarity is needed on trade relations, noting that a model based on Canada’s treaty, touted by some Brexiteers as a possible model to follow, has taken many years to negotiate, does not allow for freedom of movement, could damage other industries and has not yet been signed. She also highlighted Norway’s relationship with the EU as less than desirable, describing it as “one way communication”; Norway’s access to the common market means free movement of people, but Norway is also subject to EU regulations without any power to shape them. The Earl of Sandwich agreed with her on this point and added that he fears that trade barriers could be put up against bovine TB in retaliation for the UK’s decision to leave.

Baroness McIntosh said world trade rules would be, to her mind, the least desirable outcome, and asked for clarification on what future trading relationship with the EU the government is hoping for and what deals it is most actively pursuing. Addressing some pro-brexit commentators’ suggestions, she noted, “When we look to commonwealth countries, we have to be aware that most commonwealth countries already have a preferential relationship with the European Union through the African, Caribbean and Pacific Assembly. What is their status going to be in the short term? Are we going to try peeling them off one by one?”

EU funding: What future for direct payments and rural development?

Some of the most pointed comments came on the subject of direct support for farmers and funding for the environment and rural development. Lib Dem Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer said she will find it ironic if the bucolic vision of rural Britain that Brexiteers appealed to is destroyed by the outcome of the vote. She elaborated, “The £3bn that flows into our rural areas from the EU is not something I believe our treasury will naturally want to continue. I think they will look to that pot of £3bn to start funding their other priorities. It’s a threat to the very fabric of rural Britain, and not only to our home-grown food production capacity, which as we know we should be increasing not decreasing, but to the environment and wildlife.”

Former Defra minister Conservative Lord DeMauley, himself a farmer and CAP recipient, said “It is surely unlikely that her majesty’s treasury, once it’s given back the ability to decide how UK taxpayers’ money is spent, will maintain the basic farm payment at anything like its current level,” though he added, “There is a good case for making payments in return for something, such as benefits to biodiversity and maintenance of land in harder to farm environments.”

Baroness Dormer said that a better deal for farmers and the environment post-Brexit will require a “total redesign” of legislation, and that the British public will expect “much more for their money” under a new funding regime. “Gone will be the days of subsidies based on land holding size, no matter how few public benefits that and produces” she said, adding that given the density of population in Britain, Defra cannot afford to separate farming policy from environment strategy and wildlife protection, as it currently intends to do.

Lib Dem Lord Thomas of Gresford pulled up Defra minster George Eustice, who, speaking to the BBC at the Royal Welsh Show this week, had said the government cannot now guarantee that future agricultural support programmes will be as generous as current subsidies. He juxtaposed this with Eustice's promises that farmers would receive at least as much support funding as they currently do, made whilst whilst on the Brexit campaign trail ahead of the EU Referendum.

The Lib Dem lord also said that an environmental disaster and possible loss of export trade would result if the government gave into Brexiteers’ desires to slash environment and animal welfare legislation and deregulate damaging pesticides.

Touching on farming minister George Eustice’s farm support comments, Baroness Jones of Whitchurch noted that “Those who campaigned for Brexit have already committed our repatriated EU payments several times over. Indeed if some are to be believed it’s all going to go to the NHS anyway.”

Elsewhere, The Conservative Earl of Caithness expressed concern that “the best” Defra civil servants could have been poached by the Brexit office, and asked what Defra was doing to replace any of its workforce lost to the newly formed department.

Lord Gardiner responds for Defra

Defra Minister Lord Gardiner of Kimble, who was present to respond on behalf of the department,  acknowledged that he could not answer some of the concerns aired by the Lords. Discussing Defra’s role in the Brexit negotiations he said, “Defra has a seat at the table and will be playing a key role in these discussions.”

Though he didn’t comment on the UK’s future trade deals or membership of the European Common Market, he said the government is backing trade missions, supporting food exporters, and will continue to put money into agriculture research. He highlighted projects already being funded by the government, focusing on boosting crop yields, improving genetics, tackling pests and using satellite imagery.

Responding to questions about future trade agreements he said, “We are determined to strike good and positive trade deals with the EU, accelerating our international trade negotiations. Our food and drink exports have increased by over 6% since 2010, and we wish to advance on these, particularly in non-EU countries, where exports have been increasing steadily.”

“We will forge the strongest economic links with our European neighbours, as well as our close friends in North America, the Commonwealth and countries such as Japan and China where export opportunities are almost endless.”

Lord Gardiner said Defra is already in conversations with the treasury about the future of agri-environment schemes.

He also mentioned the 25 year plans for farming and the environment, promised by the government and due for initial release this summer. He said the government is still committed to delivering these plans, but did not offer any more information on an updated timeframe for publications, which were delayed after the Brexit vote.