Less than 24 hours after Defra Secretary Andrea Leadsom took charge of UK farming policy, the leaders of the four farming unions united in Brussels to appeal for current levels of farm support to be maintained.
In a joint statement the presidents put a positive spin to the current situation and described it as a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to develop a new agricultural policy and a world class agricultural industry.
NFU Scotland (NFUS), NFU, NFU Cymru and the Ulster Farmers Union said they had agreed key lobbying priorities to ensure the sector remained a powerful contributor to the UK economy.
In a statement the unions said farming contributed £10billion a year to the UK economy and over £12billion in exports.
“We provide thousands of jobs and deliver countless benefit to the natural environment. To be able to continue this, and more, we are looking to all UK governments to commit to maintaining current levels of farm support,” the statement said.
“While there are no quick-fix solutions and this will be a slow process, it is essential that we have set out at this early stage what we consider to be the priorities for the negotiations and the creation of future agriculture policy in our respective countries.”
NFUS president Allan Bowie added: “Whether seasonal or full-time, our governments need to ensure that Scottish farmers have access to the labour that we need to produce the food that consumers want. Migrant labour is essential to the future growth of the industry and we cannot allow this to be put at risk.”