Government must reassure farmers now - Farron
Today is the day that the UK would run out of food if the country only ate British food from the beginning of the year, according to the NFU. South Lakes MP Tim Farron is calling on the government to reassure farmers about what will happen post-Brexit or risk the decline of the farming industry.
The cut-off date of August 9th is based on the UK's current self-sufficiency of 61%. This figure has remained stagnant for the past 15 years.
Tim said: "While the government dithers, there are farmers who are struggling to make ends meet and who need to make tough decisions about the future. If the government does not provide reassurance that it will continue to support our farmers post-Brexit, then the industry will suffer and the UK's self-sufficiency will fall even further.
"The Environment Minister Andrea Leadsom promised during the referendum that farmers would receive the same amount of money post-Brexit - she must now back up her rhetoric with action."