Fresh produce has widely welcomed Theresa May’s Brexit White Paper released yesterday, although labour and clarity on borders remain a concern.
The long awaited blueprint for Brexit, struck up last week at Chequers, has already caused fallout within the government after hardline Brexiters Boris Johnson and David Davis resigned from their posts.
Much of the business community has hailed the document for broadly maintaining economic integration with Europe on goods. But as expected, free movement of people will end, and many new trade barriers, particularly on services, will remain.
The Soil Association described the white paper as “a step in the right direction” but raised concerns over the future of farming subsidies.
In a written statement they said: “Staying aligned with EU rules on food and farming should be positive for farmers, food businesses and consumers alike, however, there is serious concern that UK farming will lose the ring-fenced budget for farm payments that all other EU countries will continue to enjoy.”
Their comments echoed the NFU’s sentiment, who released a joint statement following the paper’s release.
“We are pleased to see the proposals agreed by the Cabinet last week included in this white paper, particularly given that the four UK farming unions have long-maintained that free and frictionless trade between the EU and UK is crucial for food and farming.
“If British farmers are to continue playing their part in providing high-quality and affordable food to the British public, as well as delivering for the environment, the principle of a free trade area for goods, including agri-food, is vital for our sector.”
The British Retail Consortium also shared the positive sentiment, but said it still lacked clarity for the industry.
'The British Retail Consortium has made it clear that a frictionless customs system is vital for retail businesses so it is encouraging to have seen some progress within the white paper, but the retail industry still needs clarity on how this will be facilitated
'A functioning frictionless customs arrangement is essential to ensure our fragile food supply chains are maintained and we welcome the proposal of a Free Trade Area which would eliminate the need for most border controls and delays at the border. However, industry needs further clarity as to how the proposed tracking system would work in practice and an understanding of the costs involved and who would bear these.'
Both BRC and the NFU also raised labour concerns as EU citizens will no longer have the automatic right to live and work in the UK.
“While the government has committed to ending free movement of people, there must be recognition of the importance of both seasonal and permanent workers from outside of the UK that help farms to continue producing food for the nation,” the NFU said.
The Soil Association added that the white paper also suggests Britain will be accept future EU regulations on pesticide and GM crops.
“In the past the UK has almost always opposed EU moves to protect public health and the environment, for example opposing controls on bee-killing neonicotinoids until the last minute – the White Paper proposes that in future we should accept the positive changes without being able to argue against them. In practice, this may mean that EU plans to tighten controls on dangerous agricultural chemicals that disrupt our immune systems – endocrine disruptors – will also apply to the UK.”
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