Dairy should be high priority for Brexit, says Dairy UK
It is in the national interest for dairy to be given due prominence during the Brexit process, says Dr Dobbin, chairman of Dairy UK. Speaking at Dairy UK’s ‘Brexit and Beyond’ industry seminar in London and at the organisation’s annual dinner, he says, “The importance and relevance of dairy must not be forgotten or traded to the benefit of other sectors.”
Dr Dobbin adds that the UK government and all political decision-makers must ensure that: trading arrangements with the EU without tariff and non-tariff barriers are continued; that the relationship with the EU is clarified before negotiating free trade agreements with third countries; that there is continued access to skilled and unskilled labour; that any review of existing regulations or the introduction of new regulations will not create non-tariff barriers; and UK farmers are not disadvantaged compared to their European neighbours.
“A bad deal for the UK would be a major problem for the domestic dairy industry and would also be a bad deal for the European dairy industry. The Government must avoid a cliff edge deal and go for lengthy transition to allow a deal to be finalised and seamlessly phased in,” he comments.
Dr Judith Bryans, chief executive of Dairy UK, says, “The dairy industry is working hard to realise its potential. From initiatives to improve export performance, environmental impact, sustainability, and supply chain integrity, to name a few, the sector stands ready to assist the government in any way during the negotiating process. It is in the UK’s interest for the industry to emerge from Brexit as an effective, dynamic sector equipped to continue to feed the nation for generations to come.”
The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) has also produced an economic analysis of the potential impact of Brexit on the industry.
Oliver Hogan, director at CEBR, states that, “If done in the right way, many Brexit-related worries could disappear. Making this happen would require careful and tolerant negotiating behaviour on both sides, something that has been conspicuous by its absence in recent months.”
