Politics

Though politicians are still talking about no deal as a serious prospect, behind the scenes, negotiators may be closer than ever to clinching a deal, says Jonathan Roberts, director of external affairs at the CLA.

If the Conservatives are not prepared to stand up for farmers now and protect them from low-standard imports, they should not expect rural votes when they come knocking for support at the next election, says Labour Shadow Defra Secretary Luke Pollard.

Lord Donald Curry has said Ministers would be ‘wise’ to accept his revised amendment to the Agriculture Bill, which would increase parliamentary scrutiny of future trade deals.

Jane King will leave her role no later than September 2021

A top Welsh Government official has admitted that some ‘stresses and strains’ of farmers can be caused by Government actions.

Farmers already do so much to preserve our countryside, and there is more they can do, but they must be given the tools they need by Government, says High Peak Conservative MP Robert Largan.

A number of factors including Covid-19, the US elections and a La Nina weather event would drive global grain markets

Farming is a resilient industry, but there is still much work to do on issues such as export certificates, trade deals and future policy to prepare us for Brexit, says Matt Legge, a sheep, beef and pig farmer from the Isle of Wight.

Defra’s new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme must stop the uplands from being destocked and wilded by stealth, says Phil Stocker, chief executive of the National Sheep Association.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the UK is now preparing to leave the EU without a deal, as he accused his European counterparts of ‘abandoning the idea of a free trade agreement’.