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In a speech at the British Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on Monday, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Michael Gove continued to outline his theme for a ‘Green Brexit’ policy after the U.K leaves the European Union.
The policy would reward farmers for environmentally friendly farm practices.
‘’It’s damaged natural habitats, hit biodiversity and harmed wild life, the number of farmland birds has reduced by more than half … and on top of that the Common Agricultural Policy, has channelled hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers money to the already wealthy, simply because of the amount of land they have, that is plain wrong.’’
While some may see Gove’s speech as heralding a new dawn for agriculture in the UK, there are others who would have preferred to hear some detail on issues such as an immigration policy for seasonal workers and specifics on future farm subsidies.
Seasonal Farm Workers
The UK requires an estimated 80,000 seasonal workers to harvest its fruit and vegetables, with the vast majority of these coming from Bulgaria and Romania.
Since the Brexit vote last year, 50% of horticultural companies said that it was more difficult to recruit workers from Europe.
The drop in the value of sterling also means that the U.K is now seen as a less attractive place to work compared to Germany, which is closer to home for many seasonal workers.
This summer the body representing farmers in Britain, the National Farmers Union, reported that there was a 17% shortfall in the seasonal workforce.
Despite the Red Tractor campaign, aimed at encouraging people to buy British, 83% of the fruit and 62% of the vegetables eaten by people in the UK is imported.
Farm organisations have called on Gove to reintroduce the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS), which would provide workers with a temporary work visa providing them with the right to work and receive healthcare during their time in the UK.
But so far Gove has only said that he is not going to “rule anything in or out” when it comes to seasonal workers.
Farm Subsidies
In the short-term, the weakness in sterling has meant that farm subsidies from Europe have increased in value for farmers in the UK.
The Ulster Farmers Union has welcomed this increase, calling it a ‘boost’ to farm income and saying it reflects a 22% rise in payment value from 2015.
While farmers across Europe have debated the efficacy of CAP, for many of them it represents the profit margin in their annual income.
Gove has expressed his wish to maintain farm subsidy payments as long as farmers agree to schemes that incorporate elements that protect the environment.
However, he has not given any indication of what the specifics of future schemes will look like.
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