As many people may not know rural businesses make up a considerable per cent of firms within the UK, nearly 25% as of 2014/15. Many other these businesses consist of agricultural farming, arable farming, forestry and fishing. Tourism is also seen in this sector, however in a much smaller capacity. Many of the public, however, will not see any relevance between agriculture and Brexit. Well, that is my job.
CAP the Common Agricultural Policy put in place by the EU is a funding system. This policy is one of the biggest the EU has making up nearly 40% of its expenditure. The policy provides rural programmes, support measures and even direct payments to farmers in Europe. As perfect as this sounds, UK farmers will soon be forced to do business without this considerable aid. Thanks to Brexit CAP will no longer apply to the UK. Putting vast amounts of pressure on UK farmers, especially considering in 2016, 72% of the UK’s food and drink exports were to the EU.
However, it isn’t all bad news for the farmers of the UK. The UK government have said that they would provide a new agricultural policy in 2020 so that this sector is not crippled. However, it is clear to see that the impact of Brexit on agriculture and rural businesses is substantial and will be felt by most of the population in ways many of us will not notice or understand.
It is difficult to tell what impacts Brexit will have on tourism and other rural businesses, but it is fair to say that the effect will not be a good one and severe management methods and day to day running of firms will change. And we will see whether the UK government will include then in the new agricultural policy or if a new policy is needed to combat this issue.
JBLOGS 