NFU calls emergency post-EU referendum meeting
Mark my words post Friday, whichever way the vote goes those risk averse civil servants will be reaching for the pause button! This story tells us:
Industry leaders are seeking urgent meetings with Defra ministers and other government officials to address vital farming issues once the EU referendum is over.
NFU president Meurig Raymond said farmers were losing out because politicians had left important agricultural issues on the back burner for almost three months, while they have fought over the UK’s future relationship with Europe.
Such is the level of concern that the NFU has convened an emergency meeting of its 90-strong leadership council in central London a week on Friday (1 July) – just 10 days after the union’s regular quarterly council meeting held earlier this week.
Speaking the day before the EU referendum, Mr Raymond said: “The government hasn’t functioned properly for the past few months while the referendum debate has taken place. We need urgent decisions to be made across a number of big areas.”
Unresolved issues include the lack of a promised 25-year government strategy for the UK farming industry, slow progress in the battle against bovine TB, ongoing problems with basic payments and the threatened withdrawal of agrochemicals.