Some initial indications of what agricultural policy will look like after Brexit were given by Defra Secretary of State Michael Gove last week when he spoke about his vision for a “green Brexit” at a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) event in Surrey on Friday. The following day the new Defra secretary was in NI, as guest of the DUP at the Antrim Show.

“Support can only be argued for against other competing public goods if the environmental benefits of that spending are clear,” Gove told his audience on Friday.

With the British government already committing to maintain farm support at the current level of CAP spending until 2022, Gove also said he wanted to “go on generously supporting farmers for many more years to come”.

NI share

A concern for farmers here is that NI could receive a reduced allocation of UK agricultural spending after Brexit compared with its current 9% share of the UK CAP fund.

However, at the Antrim Show on Saturday, Gove appeared to rule out allocating post-Brexit agricultural funds based on population (where NI would receive 3% of the UK total). He stated that certain areas of the UK will always have more agricultural spend than others, specifically mentioning NI and uplands areas in Britain.

The Ulster Farmers’ Union appeared positive after a meeting with Gove on Saturday with union president Barclay Bell describing it as “constructive and reassuring.”

“Since the referendum, we have been impatient to see progress at Westminster. I’m now more hopeful there is a commitment to deliver a vibrant farming industry and a well-managed countryside,” Bell said.

Import standards

The UFU also maintained that Gove recognised the importance of ensuring UK food production is not undermined by imports produced to lower standards.

That view was reinforced this week when the Defra secretary appeared to rule out the UK importing chlorine-washed chicken from the US as part of a post-Brexit trade deal. It is a practice currently banned in the EU.

This came after UK Secretary of State for International Trade, Liam Fox played down the issue of UK food import standards on Monday. Speaking at an event in Washington, he described chlorine-washed chicken as “a detail at the very end stage of one sector of a potential free trade agreement”.