Farmers have 'six years to change'

British farmers have six to seven years to get their business ready for the massive changes Brexit could bring, according to a agriculture group.

In a speech at the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers’ (CAAV) spring conference, their secretary and advisor, Jeremy Moody, said leaving the EU will “release change that has been pent-up by the Common Agricultural Policy for years”.

Moody added tariff-free trade with Europe was a strong possibility, but frictionless trade with was “less likely”.

The CAAV represent 2700 industry members practising in a diverse range of agricultural and rural work throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Moody said: “Brexit as an event may happen in March 2019 – but it could be that nothing much happens after that during the transition period, until perhaps the end of 2020. Brexit will be more of a process, with changes to policy phased in after that.

“In England the government proposes to cut some basic payment money in, say 2021, and remove the whole payment in the following years. Spending will shift towards environmental payments, productivity and other public goods.

Moody said that farmers will have to become more competitive following Brexit, differentiating products to create particular markets, or by finding alternative income streams from their property.

He continued: “Some farmers are already talking about it, some have stopped talking about it in the hope it will all go away, and some will find it just happens to them. It will be the top quartile of businesses which are best placed to handle this level of change.”