UK farmers remain in the dark about whether or not they will continue to receive subsidy support in the event of a yes vote in the proposed EU in/out referendum in 2017.
Following Defra minister Liz Truss’ opening speech at the Oxford Farming Conference, in which she did not voice the words Common Agricultural Policy (Cap) once, the farming chief refused to confirm what would happen to farm subsidy support if the UK opts to exit the EU.
Mirroring much of the debate in the run up to the Scottish independence referendum last year, the future of subsidy support was very much at the forefront of minds.
When pressed by conference chair Richard Whitlock on the issue, Ms Truss said it was difficult to comment on a hypothetical situation.
“I want to keep the single market without having all the cumbersome costs of bureaucracy,” said Ms Truss.
“What the Prime Minister has said is that we are negotiating very had but if we don’t get what we want then we are prepared to consider other options.”
Her colleague, farm minister George Eustice, was also reluctant to address the issue and stuck to the party line that the government was looking to renegotiate its membership with the EU.
Scots farm minister Richard Lochhead described the Defra ministers’ comments as a “dreadful admission”.
“It has set alarm bells ringing that four months out from a UK election, the UK Secretary of State is unable to explain how, or indeed if, the loss of EU funding should the UK exit the EU be replaced,” said Mr Lochhead.
Speaking at the conference for the second time since taking up his post in 2007, Mr Lochhead warned that the loss of farm subsidy support would result in the loss of UK farmers’ “protective shield”.
He accused the UK Government of “gambling with the livelihoods of tens of thousands of farmers and crofters and food businesses” and said UK agriculture was at risk of losing billions of pounds worth of support – UK Pillar 1 support is worth nearly £20billion between 2014 and 2020.
To Scots farmers and crofters, the prospect of opting out of farm support, means opting out of farming, said Mr Lochhead.
“In an ideal world, the market would deliver a decent livelihood for our farmers, and support from the public purse would no longer be required,” added Mr Lochhead.
“But that ideal world is much further away for some compared to others. So the Cap and support for agriculture is vitally important to Scotland.
“If we are taken out of Europe against our will, we’ll be taken out of CAP against out will.