Should I stay or should I go?

The April issue of Food & Drink Technology will be hitting desks this week, with a Brexit special. Ahead of the vote on 23 June over whether the UK should stay or leave the EU, we asked for the thoughts of the food and drink industry.

Across the food chain – from agriculture to the foodservice sector – a strong argument for staying in is so the UK can continue to benefit from the numerous international trade agreements signed by the EU, from which the country draws market access.

Ian Wright, director general of the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), says, “If you leave the club, you lose its benefits. And one of the benefits of the club is all those trade agreements.”

Naturally, a large part of the case for staying in the EU is rooted in the profusion of uncertainties that would follow an exit vote, such as the trade agreements as well as the future relationship between the UK and EU overall.

Interestingly, we were unable to find a single leading food and drink business to recommend EU withdrawal for our report, however, voices have occasionally been raised about specific policies, with one of the main arguments made by those favouring an exit being the burden of rules and regulations imposed by Brussels.

In addition, critics of the EU say that the consultations being carried out by the National Farmers’ Union and the FDF could reveal far more support for Brexit than is widely believed.

Read the full article, courtesy of Alan Osborn, in the April issue. Thoughts on Brexit below please.