Rob Lyons speaks to Dr Guy Smith from the National Farmers Union

The Brexit vote throws the future of British farming and indeed

how to produce enough food to feed Britain into question. The EU was

always notorious for its apparently huge subsidies to farmers, while

other struggling sectors of the economy – as illustrated by the

threatened closure of Port Talbot steel works – have been refused such

support. Now, however, farmers may be hit with heavy tariffs on cereals

and dairy products. For some of those who wanted to remain, the silver

lining of leaving the EU is the opportunity to shake up farming policy,

ditching the generous subsidies farmers receive. Is this the start of

another battle between rural folk and townies, or a valuable opportunity

to rethink how Britain, which already relies heavily on imports, feeds

itself?

Ahead of October’s Battle of Ideas session, How will we feed Britain after Brexit?, Rob Lyons talks to Guy Smith, vice-president of the National Farmers Union, about the future of farming in the UK.

You can find out more about this Battle of Ideas session here.

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