Farmers' worries over Brexit
There will be casualties in the agricultural world if Britain ends up with a 'bad Brexit' a leading Shropshire farmer says.
Malcolm Roberts has called on the community to buy British or face a future where the nation wont be about to feed itself.
Talk among farmers at Oswestry Show at the weekend included immediate worries over the dry summer and feed shortages, and long term fears over Brexit.
Mr Roberts, a sheep and cattle farmer from just outside the town, is also the NFU regional board chairman.
He said: "There is huge concern over Brexit out there, particularly for the 38 to 40 per cent to export.
"The fall out from Brexit if we get no deal or a bad deal will be enormous, particularly for the sheep farmers.
"All sections could suffer but sheep farmers are going to be more vulnerable because so much lamb from Britain is exported to Europe. Also sheep graze on more marginal land which can not be used for much else."
Mr Roberts said the effect on cattle farmers would be limited as there were not many beef exports to Europe and said, thanks to international and home trade, dairy farmers were in the strongest postition.
"Chicken farmers could have a different problem, how to prevent the flow of cheaper chicken into Britain without import tarrifs."
"Farmers are holding their breath to see what is going to happen."
"If we get a bad Brexit there will be casualties in the industry, farmers will go out of business unless they can put things in plan now to lessen the blow. Farmers run businesses and like other businesses they will have mortgages and loans to fulfil.
"Farmers need to look at their vulnerability and try to safeguard as much as they can. The public also has to help by buying British food.
"While we are businesses we are businesses that feed the nationa. If the industry loses farmers and we stop producing food them there will come a time when we wont be able to feed the country."
Mr Roberts said that farmers had two worries, long term Brexit and shorter term but just as worrying, feed shortages.
"Our barns were empty to start with at the end of the winter and a cold wet spring added to the problems.
"Now we are experiencing a summer of little or no rain and extremely high temperatures. It is difficult to know where farmers are going to get enough food to see their animals through the winter."
He said the NFU was running its Fodder Bank where those in need to apply to forage from that donated by farmers with excess.
