Westminster has singled out farming and fishing for an accelerated exit from Europe at the end of March 2019.
The political bombshell was dropped on farming leaders by Scotland Office Under Secretary of State Lord Ian Duncan during an NFU Scotland meeting at Birnam in Perthshire.
Lord Duncan told the audience of farmers that Defra Secretary Michael Gove’s “clear negotiating position” was to secure as early an exit as possible from the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fisheries Policy. He said negotiators would do all they could to achieve that outcome.
“That’s our starting negotiating position, to be determined with the EU,” he said.
“We would prefer to see the freedom to come to you to begin to determine farm policy.”
The news came as a shock to farmers’ union leader Andrew McCornick who said he was astounded that Westminster would announce such a major policy shift without prior consultation.
“It has taken me completely by surprise,” he said.
“The problem is they don’t understand we’re making long-term decisions in agriculture during all the uncertainty over the Brexit negotiations. We’re still trying to farm through all of it.
“Is the UK going to be giving the same money to the EU during the transition period and at the same time paying money for an agriculture policy? I don’t understand how it’s going to work. “And how could we be in a transition agriculture-wise and still be trading with Europe if we haven’t the same support systems? I’ve no answer to that, I’ll be looking for clarity.”
Scotland’s Brexit Minister, Mike Russell was equally perplexed by the announcement and said it only added to the chaos and confusion of the UK Government’s position on Brexit.
“It’s very different from what we’ve been hearing which is that it’s inconceivable that agriculture and fishing would be separate from the rest of the transition arrangements,” he said later.
“You can’t be both in and out and that’s been the clear message from the EU. We have to seek clarification.”
Questioned later, Lord Duncan stood by his announcement and insisted that remaining in the CAP for the duration of the transition period would be a “worst case scenario”.
He insisted that farm support was guaranteed by the UK Government until 2022, whatever happened.
“You will get your money,” he said.
Lord Duncan also pointed out that CAP funding was likely to be reduced after 2021, so for one year UK farmers would almost certainly benefit from being out of Europe.
nnicolson@thecourier.co.uk
