Brexit: Sheep Farmers

Lord Morris of Aberavon Excerpts

Tuesday 22nd May 2018 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Vere of Norbiton]

My Lords, we are confident of getting a deal on Brexit, which is very important to remember. Obviously assessments are going on all the time as new data becomes available. Independent assessments have also been made, such as, for example, the Impacts of Alternative Post-Brexit Trade Agreements on UK Agriculture. This assessment covered the sheep sector and highlighted the importance of low-friction trade.

[Lord Morris of Aberavon (Lab)]

My Lords, my family’s interest in Welsh agriculture has been declared. The noble and learned Lord, Lord Keen of Elie, responding on 2 May to my speech on the withdrawal Bill, was unable to set out what the basis of the agricultural payments will be after 2020. Would it not be grossly unfair and a backward step if future payments in Wales were made on the Barnett formula rather than on the present basis? Further, can the Minister clarify the position and put an end to the anxiety of sheep farmers, whose livelihoods are at stake?

[Baroness Vere of Norbiton]

I thank the noble and learned Lord for his question and am happy to give a little more clarification if I can. As noble Lords will know, the consultation closed earlier this month, to which we had 40,000 responses. Agricultural policy is a devolved matter so there will be a system by which the Government have committed £3 billion of funding, which will continue. That money will be divided up between the four devolved Administrations according to an agreement between them and from then it will be up to the Welsh Government to decide how that money gets to Welsh farmers. In doing so, two considerations must be borne in mind. First, the UK as a whole will always be the unit for international negotiations and, secondly, we must maintain the integrity of the UK internal market.