Livestock board chairman from all four UK farming unions met this week to discuss the potential impact on beef and lamb producers post Brexit.
Speaking afterwards, the NFU's Charles Sercombe said it had been a worthwhile meeting and that all four unions were unanimous over the priorities.
“It was agreed that on trade we need to ensure we continue to have access to the important European market for our beef and lamb, but, at the same time, it is important that discussions to secure access to new markets around the world continue,” he said.
“Agreements that allow access to the UK market must take into account the sensitive status of UK produced beef and lamb in future free trade or WTO discussions.
“Like other farming sectors, access to non-UK labour is a key issue. We are acutely aware that the meat processing sector is reliant on a secure labour supply, and without it we could see costs rising in the supply chain and which would have a knock on effect on our ability to compete in a world market.
“Regulatory burden remains a thorny issue for many livestock producers. We recognise that any significant change could impact on our ability to trade within the single market. Therefore, our challenge to government is to ensure regulation is proportionate, is not ‘gold plated’ but encourages compliance.
“We want an agricultural policy that helps deliver long term food security, stability and confidence for the livestock sector that reflects geographical and devolved Government differences.
“The UK livestock sector has an opportunity to come up with a template for a productive and profitable sector, this is the start of a new era and we want be part of that discussion.”
Mr Sercombe was joined by his counterparts from NFU Cymru (Wyn Evans); NFU Scotland (Charlie Adam) and the Ulster Farmers’ Union (Crosby Cleland). Also attending the meeting, which took place yesterday, were representatives of AHDB, LMC, HCC and QMS.