Politics

Standards encapsulate the values of a nation and the UK is ‘absolutely right’ to highlight the importance of upholding them as the Government negotiates new trade deals.

NFU president Minette Batters will today open the union’s annual conference with a call for Government to ‘show global leadership’ on international trade and protect domestic production standards.

New Farming Minister Victoria Prentis writes exclusively for Farmers Guardian on why she’s so excited to work at Defra during such a key time of change for UK agriculture.

New Defra Secretary George Eustice has been told securing a ‘fair Brexit transition’ for farmers must be a top priority, as farm groups set out their key asks of Government for the coming months.

Within two days of the UK Government announcing its plans to control migration it has had to quickly row back on its proposals by allowing a new range of jobs to be classified as skilled.

At a time when agriculture is already struggling to attract the workforce it needs to produce food for the nation and markets further afield, the Government’s new proposals to cut migrant labour have the potential to be extremely damaging, writes Olivia Midgley.

Brussels provided more protection for UK farmers in a world of bullying super-powers than Conservative MPs realised, says Labour’s Shadow Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner.

Farm groups have expressed their fury after reports suggested the Government is preparing to break away from EU food safety rules at an upcoming World Trade Organisation (WTO) summit.

Removing direct payments before properly testing the new public goods system is reckless and will put hill farmers out of business, says Tim Farron, Westmorland and Lonsdale MP and Lib Dem agriculture spokesman.

Having George Eustice at the cabinet table during such a pivotal time for agriculture will benefit farmers across the whole of the UK, says Andrew RT Davies, Welsh Conservative Shadow Rural Affairs Minister.