In April, ahead of the EU Referendum which resulted in a vote for Britain to leave the Union last month, the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) published its own list of policy demands for agriculture in an independent Britain. These included increasing the powers and remit of the groceries adjudicator, extending farm tenancies, maintaining farm support spending at £3bn and spending a further £2bn on bringing in new Farm Business Development and agri-environment schemes.

In the build up to the vote, TFA was highly critical of the government’s silence on possible agriculture policies in the event of a Brexit vote, which farm unions said made meaningful discussion of the implications of Brexit for farmers almost impossible. Publishing the Association’s list of demands in April, chief executive George Dunn said “Both sides of the [referendum] campaign this has provided rather more heat than light.”

At the Great Yorkshire Show, being held in Harrogate this week, The Tenant Farmers Association will be promoting its post-Brexit agriculture policy, which has been adjusted in light the referendum result.

Commenting on Monday, TFA National Chair Stephen Wyrill said “Unlike other organisations, I am pleased the TFA thought about the shape of a post Brexit agricultural policy long before the result of the referendum was known.  This has enabled the TFA to hit the ground running with Ministers, Civil Servants and other stakeholders rather than scrabbling around for a viable plan”.

Discussing the policy proposals in more depth ahead of the Show, Wyrill said, “We should retain the current budget and spend it through three new pillars.  Firstly one to create a properly constituted, outcome focused agri-environment scheme which properly rewards individuals for environmental management.  Secondly there should be an infrastructural grant scheme to encourage the development of farm businesses taking into account economic, social and environmental resilience.  Thirdly, a pillar using public funding to promote British farm products, funds near market research, develops public procurement of British food and promotes import substitution whilst finding beneficial export markets for our farm products.”

He continued, “We also have some messages for Government on trade.  To date we have relied upon the European Union to negotiate our trade deals.  We now need highly skilled negotiators within the British civil service to assist our industry in having fair access to overseas markets for agricultural products but also to ensure that British agriculture does not become the lever used to develop export markets in non-farming areas by granting unfavourable market access deals which will impact upon domestic markets in agricultural produce.”

“Whilst we await the appointment of the next Prime Minister and cabinet there is much that can be done to develop the groundwork on a new policy framework for agriculture and the TFA is fully engaged in making this a reality,.”