The boss of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has hit out at Conservative ministers for rushing Brexit and said the government “got wrong” some aspects of Britain’s withdrawal from the EU.
Tom Bradshaw, who has replaced Minette Batters at the top of the NFU, which represents more than 46,000 farmers and growers across England and Wales, said 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, said members are traditionally “big supporters” of the Tories.
But he said “many are feeling let down” by post-Brexit trade deals and said the government “did not consult and did not listen” to farmers when leaving the EU.
He said trade deals are undermining UK farms because supermarkets can sell foods produced to lower standards abroad.
And Mr Bradshaw criticised the “short term” focus of the current government, with a general election expected later this year hampering longer-term decision-making.
In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, he said: “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 some of Britain’s post-Brexit trade deals such as with Australia and New Zealand, Mr Bradshaw said: “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 support of British farmers would be a hammer blow for the Conservatives, who have enjoyed the support of rural voters for generations.
A poll for the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) suggested the Tories would lose 53 of their 96 rural seats at the general election, with high-profile Conservatives such as Jeremy Hunt at risk.
And in March Tractor-riding farmers descended on Westminster to protest against trading arrangements they claim will “decimate” British farming and jeopardise UK food security.
Campaign groups Save British Farming and Fairness for Farmers of Kent organised the demonstrations at which farmers called for “a radical change of policy and an urgent exit from these appalling trade deals which will decimate British food”.
Mr Bradshaw did say recently appointed environment secretary Steve Barclay is “doing a good job so far”, but said “I don’t think [ministers] can be clear about their plans when you are only planning for six months’ time”.
And, with Labour on course 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.”
