Many farmers believe they have not benefited from the bonuses once promised by Brexit campaigners.

November 23, 2024 1:00 p.m.

It is no surprise that Nigel Farage was denied the opportunity to speak at the farmers’ rally in Westminster earlier this week. While Farage was taking part in a protest over proposed inheritance tax reforms that would hit farmers, it was his status as Mr Brexit that organizers feared could be divisive and overshadow the event.

Farage told Politics Joe: “Brexit is barely relevant, apart from the fact that we are in charge of our own agricultural policy. It’s taxation that brought them together today.”

Although the British reform leader has donned his finest flat cap, Barbour jacket and wellies to brave the muddy streets of central London, Farage is not held in the highest esteem by all members of the community agricultural.

Yes, the privately educated urban trader turned career politician and minor celebrity might view the farming community as a kindred spirit, given that estimates suggest they voted 53 percent to leave the European Union. But Brexit has become a dirty word for many farmers, who feel they have not benefited from the bonuses once promised by Brexit campaigners.

In an investigation for Farmers Weekly last year, 83 percent of farmers surveyed said Brexit had been worse than expected; 52 percent supported a referendum on rejoining the EU; and 70 percent were in favor of reintegrating the single market.

Despite the promises made during the referendum campaign, notably by the Minister of Agriculture at the time, George Eusticethat voting Leave would mean Britain would be “free to think again and could achieve much more for farmers and our environment”, government subsidies and trade policies have left farmers feeling out of pocket.

The most obvious example is the end of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for farmers. Since leaving the EU, replacement schemes to help farmers have, by the government’s own calculations, I didn’t close the gap. for multiple reasons. In some cases, their deployment has been too slow. In others, they have been overly complicated and tied to sustainable agriculture or environmental incentives, like installing solar panels on your land.

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It’s not just the government’s inadequate CAP replacements that have disappointed farmers. A combination of inflation and post-Brexit trade barriers has made agricultural work more expensive for British farmers. The unfortunate combination of rising input costs, falling export profits and a delay in implementing controls on food entering the UK has made the economic reality bleak for farmers.

The focus on post-Brexit trade deals has also led to serious concerns about lowering food standards and imports of cheaper food from countries like Australia and New Zealand.

In fact, Eustice himself criticized the trade deal signed by Liz Truss’ government following his dismissal by the former prime minister. He told the Commons shortly after the deal was struck: “We didn’t actually need to give Australia or New Zealand total liberalization of the beef and sheep sector… and neither Australia nor New Zealand had anything to offer in return for such a large concession. »

These fears, among others, are amplified each time the prospect of a trade agreement with America is raised. Even if a real free trade agreement with the United States is not on the agenda at the moment, there is a reasonable fear that future governments, desperate to make Brexit look like a success, will rush on something and make even greater concessions than those made to Australia and Australia. New Zealand. This could mean the UK market is flooded with cheap products, factory farmed meatchlorinated chicken and hormone-treated beef. Given the size of the US agricultural market, this would likely weaken both food standards and profit margins for UK farmers.

Farage, of course, is a strong advocate of a trade deal with the United States. He has previously said a trade deal could be reached with Donald Trump’s America in just “48 hours”. Although Farage has no role to play in the negotiations, there are rumors that he could serve some unofficial role in British diplomacy with the new Trump administration. And what we know about Mr Farage is that he has a unique ability to get his voice across to other politicians.

Naturally, inheritance taxes are currently the biggest concern for farmers. But even if Farage agrees with them on this, he is now, with Boris Johnson out of politics, at the center of the anger over Brexit. He would do well to remember that outside his circle of yes-men, large parts of the country he claims to love – even those who voted for Brexit – are no longer in love with the project he embodies.