The return to the UK of powers currently held by the European Union under the Common Agricultural Policy is one of the multiple implications of Brexit that the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and European Scrutiny Committee of the parliament quizzed minister Eustice about this Wednesday.
While he said that no decision had yet been made of how those powers would be split between London and devolved governments in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, he added that no powers currently in the hands of devolved governments would be taken away.
“The emerging consensus is that you need to have some kind of UK framework,” minister Eustice said, highlighting the need to “avoid market-distorting policy variations”, such as payments being too favourable to a particular type of production in one region. The role of devolved administration would focus on “implementation”, he added.
Under intense questioning on this issue from Scottish MPs, minister Eustice said the national policy was likely to offer modules, such as productivity or environment programmes, “that you can allow the devolves to buy into”.
He added that DEFRA was engaged in discussions on the UK’s future agriculture policy with devolved administrations, industry bodies within those areas such as NFU Scotland, as well as the Department for Exiting the EU and the Northern Ireland Office.
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