In the second meeting with the Secretary of State since the referendum, secured on a monumental day for British politics, Mr Raymond said the farming sector was too important to go unnoticed in post-Brexit policymaking.
After the meeting, Mr Raymond said: “This is a time of great political and economic uncertainty which is why it’s vital to keep communicating with the highest levels of government to keep farming on the agenda. Today’s meeting with the Defra Secretary was certainly a welcome one.
“I stressed to the Secretary the importance of a new food and farming plan which takes into account the new political climate. I’ve said it before and I repeated it again today, that uncertainty is no good for anyone – not least farmers and growers.
“There are 142,000 agricultural businesses in this country providing the bedrock for the UK’s largest manufacturing sector. We need to create a food supply system which is fair, transparent and has benefits for everyone in the food chain and work on this needs to happen now.
“This new policy must have adequate access to non-UK labour at its core and need a rural development policy that boosts competitiveness. The government’s aim should be to help our farmers and growers to build profitable, sustainable and efficient businesses for the long term.
“We also need the best possible access deal which allows the UK food and farming industry to continue to send the 73% of our agri-food exports to the EU single market. It’s market is on our doorstep and we should be able to make the most of this opportunity.”