Whilst still digesting this morning’s news, many Sustain members have been putting forward their thoughts on the UK’s decision to leave the EU and the implications for our food and farming. Read our first attempt to make sense of what lies ahead.
Statement from Ben Reynolds, Deputy Coordinator of Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming: 'As an alliance of all the leading organisations working to improve food and farming in the UK, the mood amongst many of our members is one of shock.
'The implications will be far-reaching. With much of our health and environmental legislation, not to mention worker’s rights, having been defined within the EU, there are now many uncertainties in the months and years ahead about which of these will be retained. There is likely to be a lot more focus on the amount of subsidies going to UK farmers, which made up a significant amount of the money we sent to, and received back from, the EU.
'The Government will now have to rethink its draft 25-year food and farming plan, and certainly will need to consult more widely on it than it has to date. This is before we even start to think about huge issues over how the UK negotiates its relationship with the Common Fisheries Policy and the implications for imports and exports of food with EU states, which will require us to continue to work very closely with our EU counterparts.
'The Government now has no excuse for hiding behind others over inaction on the issues that will affect our country and its citizens. Its first opportunity is to be brave and bold in the forthcoming childhood obesity strategy and release this as a priority.
'More broadly, we must grasp this opportunity to ask some hard questions and rethink our national and local food and farming economies.'
Published Friday 24 June 2016
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
