Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps he is taking to (a) engage with and (b) protect the interests of the South West's agricultural and fishing industries during future trade negotiations with the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
As part of our committment to hear from every sector and region in the UK, DExEU Ministers continue to engage closely with organisations across the agriculture and fishing industries, to enable us to understand issues for the sectors and to identify potential post-exit opportunities.
We have spoken to a range of organisations including the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, and the National Farmers’ Union and will continue to listen to workers in the industry, trade organisations, producers and the public as negotiations progress.
Leaving the EU presents a major opportunity for the UK agriculture and fishing industries. The Government will be able to design new policies which specifically benefit British agriculture, the countryside and the fisheries, and provide better value for money to the British taxpayer.