Brexit

Recommendations made in the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) report (January 28) still fall short on delivering for the UK’s food and farming sectors, industry leaders have warned.

A top agricultural lawyer has said the delinked payments promised in the Agriculture Bill ‘will not see the light of day’.

Upland farmers are set to lose 94 per cent of farm business income by 2024 due to uncertainty over agri-environment funding, according to Dr Julia Aglionby, chairman of the Uplands Alliance.

Hundreds of farmers across the country will join forces with the NFU in a rallying call to Government, urging them to take firm action on post-Brexit food standards.

A cohort of 60 farming and environmental groups have written a joint letter to the Prime Minister to highlight the importance of ensuring the UK’s standards of food production are not undermined when the UK leaves the EU.

The recognition of soil’s importance in the Ag Bill is a statement of ambition few other countries can match, but there is more work to do if we’re to meet the Government’s target of having sustainably managed soils by 2030, says Sustainable Soils Alliance director Matthew Orman.

Politicians have made a lot of promises to farmers about UK agriculture having a bright future, and now we must hold them to account, says Phil Stocker, chief executive of the National Sheep Association.

If the Scottish Government does not set out a clear plan and direction of travel for agriculture, the annual support budget of 500m could be under threat, says Mike Rumbles, Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for the North East.

While the debate over a second independence referendum for Scotland fills the news, the business of devolved government goes on with the new UK Agriculture Bill proving contentious.

The latest version of the Agriculture Bill was published by the Government last week. But what in it is new, and what are the next steps? Abi Kay has spoken to Defra to get the inside track.