To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is planning to take to assist farmers in the (a) North West and (b) Ribble Valley constituency with transitional funding after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered on
8 September 2016
Supporting our farmers and protecting the environment will form an important part of our exit from the EU. The Secretary of State is very clear this needs to be looked at carefully and is looking forward to working with industry and the public to develop new proposals that support our agricultural industry as we leave the EU.
On the 13th August, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the agricultural sector will receive the same level of funding that it would have received under Pillar 1 of the Common Agricultural Policy until the end of the Multiannual Financial Framework in 2020. Any agri-environment agreements, including those continuing beyond departure from the EU, finalised before the Autumn Statement will be fully funded, and there will be a further announcement before the Autumn Statement.