Mark Tufnell says many farmers are reluctant to trust government as changes to subsidy payments loom.
The government is planning to water down the regulatory requirements on key chemicals, in what experts fear could be the first move to a weaker post-Brexit safety regime for potentially toxic substances.
As changes wrought by Brexit slash and burn £1.8bn of direct payments to English farmers by 2027, experts warn that government optimism over agriculture in England is dangerously misplaced.
Government scheme to replace EU agricultural payments fuelled by ‘blind optimism’ and still lacking crucial details, say MPs.
MPs on the Commons spending watchdog have accused Environment Secretary George Eustice of “blind optimism” to suggest otherwise.
A new parliamentary report warned the “blind optimism” shown by Tory ministers could force many small and tenant farmers in England out of business - but environment secretary George Eustice insists UK farmers are better off since Brexit.
The “blind optimism” shown by UK government ministers in their plans for the future of England’s farms could result in many small and tenant farmers being forced out of business, a parliamentary report has warned.
Disbelief and outrage across EU as UK says it won’t do anything to stop end to Brexit food checks in Northern Ireland
03/02/2022
European media responded with shock and disbelief this morning after a minister in Northern Ireland ordered to end checks on food in his country and the UK declared it won’t do anything about it.
One year after Brexit, Scotland’s fishing industry is still mired in chaos, leaving many businesses fearing for their future as deliveries to Europe continue to be snarled in costly red tape and delays.
Farmers have held a protest outside government offices in York over claims the pig industry is at risk of collapse.
Edwin Poots' proposals to increase minimum land area for post-Brexit agriculture payments could put many farmers 'out of business'
11/02/2022
PROPOSALS by Edwin Poots' department for post-Brexit support for agriculture could threaten the livelihood of hundreds of small farmers, according to the chair a Stormont committee.
There has been no progress made by Defra and the horticulture industry in securing permission for UK growers to export currently prohibited plants to the EU.
Ministers admitted the industry's "reliance on foreign workers" hadn't been solved after Brexit.
Civil Service jobs: Scaling back to pre-Brexit figures is illogical as UK has more governance now, expert says
13/05/2022
Institute of Government says there is more work for the Civil Service to do now that the UK has left the EU
London 'did not prioritise NI solutions'
14/05/2022
It is hard to dispute the idea that London did not prioritise finding a solution to the Brexit problems facing Northern Ireland, a former top Stormont civil servant has said.
Strategy described as ‘missed opportunity’ as final wording merely commits to ‘considering’ animal welfare.
Tory MPs urge government to scrap EU pesticide regulations and allow all US chemicals on food
14/06/2022
Conservative MPs have urged the government to use its Brexit freedoms to ditch the EU’s cautious approach to making sure pesticides are safe for human consumption.
Environment secretary George Eustice wants to tear up a key piece of European law that environmentalists say protects cherished habitats in the UK.
The UK is threatening health and marine life on the French coast by allowing raw sewage to be dumped in the Channel and North Sea, say three Euro MPs.
Brussels official says UK has ‘non-regression obligation’ to protect waters as part of trade deal.
The government doesn’t want to be held to account for Brexit and its real effects – and it’s clear why!
08/10/2022
This week I was contacted by a retired CEO of a major wine wholesaler. They, unbeknownst to me, had asked their local MP John Penrose (Weston-super-Mare, Somerset) if he thought it was acceptable that my wine business had been obliged to open a site in the EU to mitigate Brexit costs.
A significant amount of the UK’s meat production may become non-compliant for export to the EU if proposed changes are implemented, the sheep sector has warned.
Food safety in a post-Brexit UK
07/11/2022
Erik Millstone examines the precarious nature of food safety in the UK after the Brexit referendum and points out that prevention is always better than cure.
Post-Brexit delay on air quality standards condemns more London children to breathing toxic air
15/11/2022
Ministers were accused on Tuesday of condemning another generation of children to breathing toxic air in London and other parts of Britain by setting a target to tackle it only by 2040.
Ellie Newis reviews two of the flagship free trade agreements that were supposed to reignite the UK economy.