NFU Vice President Stuart Roberts said: “This Bill provides farmers with some much-needed certainty as we leave the EU and ensures that the BPS scheme can continue to operate in 2020. We have been calling for the government to introduce this legislation and ensure there is no disruption to making farm payments this year, so it is good news they have heard our concerns and addressed them.
“While this Bill provides assurance for the year ahead, there are still farmers waiting for payments they are owed from 2019 and years before. It is crucial the government address these issues, as well as giving legal assurances that agri-environment schemes that will enter into force next year will be unaffected by our departure from the EU.
“The NFU has long maintained that there must be a smooth transition for the agricultural industry away from the existing CAP support policy schemes, ensuring maximum certainty for farm businesses amidst the political uncertainty of EU withdrawal and the resulting UK independent trade policy.
“We will continue to engage with government on future agricultural policy, which needs to support sustainable food production in the UK and lead the world in pursuing a progressive and sustainable trade policy that has our high environmental and welfare standards at is heart.”
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