Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Leaving the EU: Agriculture and the Food Industry

Thursday 17 June 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Peter Bone asked about the effect of the UK's departure from the EU on agriculture and the food industry.
  • The minister noted that farm incomes saw a boost due to exchange rate changes following the 2016 referendum.
  • The minister emphasized the opportunity to develop an independent agriculture policy tailored to the UK's needs.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Peter Bone Con
Brexit Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The question arises from concerns about how leaving the EU has impacted UK's agricultural sector and food industry.

Question

What recent assessment he has made of the effect of the UK's departure from the EU on agriculture and the food industry.

Answer from George Eustice

Farm incomes are heavily influenced by exchange rates, and in the aftermath of the 2016 referendum there was an immediate boost to farm profitability and that has remained the case since. For the first time in 50 years, we are also free to create an independent agriculture policy that works for our own farmers. Our future agriculture policy will support farmers to farm sustainably, to make space for nature in the farmed landscape, and to improve their profitability.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide a specific assessment of the impact on the food industry or detailed economic analysis of agricultural sector's performance post-Brexit.

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Q2 Peter Bone Con
Business & Trade Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The question comes after the initial query, focusing on addressing negative perceptions of agriculture post-Brexit.

Question

I thank the most excellent Secretary of State for that response. Is he as fed up as I am with doom and gloom from those on the Opposition Benches when our farmers do such a good job? Coming out of the EU allows them to turbocharge their exports. Get rid of that lot and concentrate on the good stuff that we are doing.

Answer from George Eustice

My hon. Friend makes a very important point. British agriculture in many sectors is world-beating, world-leading, competes internationally and can export internationally. We will be announcing plans to increase the support that we offer to exporters, and there are important opportunities for our goods in some of the Asian markets.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address the specific frustration with negative perceptions or provide concrete details on current exporting challenges.

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