Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch issued a written statement, stating an amendment will replace the current clause in the Bill with a list of 600 regulations the government intends to revoke at the end of 2023.
'Sensible and pragmatic'
NFU Director of Trade and Business Strategy Nick von Westenholz welcomed the decision as a “sensible and pragmatic move” that the NFU has “urged” the government to take for months.
“A systematic review of Retained EU Law makes a lot of sense, and Brexit provides an opportunity for improving the regulatory regime that governs farming and looks after our environment,” he said.
Nick highlighted the concerns that the Bill in its current form would “force rushed decisions on what to retain and amend, and on what to revoke, missing the opportunity to improve the regulatory framework for farming and the environment with due care and attention”.
The 31 December 2023 cut-off date would have seen EU laws copied over to the UK after Brexit expire automatically under the sunset clause. This posed a "clear risk that some important regulatory safeguards might simply fall away unintentionally," Nick said.
“This is a sensible and pragmatic move by the government, and one that we have urged them to take for months.”
NFU Director of Trade and Business Strategy Nick von Westenholz
Ensuring the best regulation for farmers
“The government’s amendments to the Bill will hopefully mean this outcome is avoided, without dropping the important reform process on better regulation," Nick continued.
“We will continue to engage with the government as part of this much more practical timetable to ensure farmers operate under the best regulatory regime possible, so that we maintain important environmental and consumer protections while encouraging investment and innovation by farm businesses.”