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The boss of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has hit out at Conservative ministers for dashing Brexit and stated the government “got wrong” some facets of Britain’s withdrawal from the EU.
Tom Bradshaw, who has changed Minette Batters at the highest of the NFU, which represents greater than 46,000 farmers and growers throughout England and Wales, stated ministers “should have taken some of our warnings [about Brexit] at face value”.
The arable farmer from Essex, who took over from Ms Batters in February, stated members are historically “big supporters” of the Tories.
But he stated “many are feeling let down” by post-Brexit commerce offers and stated the federal government “did not consult and did not listen” to farmers when leaving the EU.
He stated commerce offers are undermining UK farms as a result of supermarkets can promote meals produced to decrease requirements overseas.
And Mr Bradshaw criticised the “short term” focus of the present authorities, with a basic election anticipated later this yr hampering longer-term decision-making.
In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, he stated: “Historically our members would have been big supporters of the Conservative Party, but many are feeling let down, particularly by the international trade deals [which they believe disadvantage British farmers]. They are not going to forget about that quickly.”
He added: “The Brexit deal got delayed but our ministers at Defra were not willing to delay the transition and so put themselves under huge time pressure to deliver a scheme,” he says. “Their department was the most impacted by withdrawal from the EU and it became a totem pole.”
“They didn’t consult and they didn’t listen. They delivered a scheme under a restricted timescale and there are areas of it that I think they got wrong. They should have taken some of our warnings at face value.”
And, in a dig at a few of Britain’s post-Brexit commerce offers equivalent to with Australia and New Zealand, Mr Bradshaw stated: “If we are expected to produce to standards here then we should expect all the food sold in this country to be produced to that standard. And if as a country we don’t care about those standards, then our members should have the competitive advantage to produce to lower standards. You can’t have it both ways.”
Losing the assist of British farmers can be a hammer blow for the Conservatives, who’ve loved the assist of rural voters for generations.
A ballot for the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) steered the Tories would lose 53 of their 96 rural seats at the overall election, with high-profile Conservatives equivalent to Jeremy Hunt at danger.
And in March Tractor-riding farmers descended on Westminster to protest towards buying and selling preparations they declare will “decimate” British farming and jeopardise UK meals safety.
Campaign teams Save British Farming and Fairness for Farmers of Kent organised the demonstrations at which farmers known as for “a radical change of policy and an urgent exit from these appalling trade deals which will decimate British food”.
Mr Bradshaw did say not too long ago appointed surroundings secretary Steve Barclay is “doing a good job so far”, however stated “I don’t think [ministers] can be clear about their plans when you are only planning for six months’ time”.
And, with Labour heading in the right direction for a landslide majority, he added: “At the NFU we are proudly apolitical, but in the four years I’ve been in the NFU team, I have built up a strong relationship with shadow farming minister Daniel Zeichner, who has been in post throughout that period.”
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