No-deal Brexit would have huge impact on East Lancashire sheep farmers

MPs may have voted to extend the negotiating period required for Britain to seal an exit from the European Union.

But EU leaders have insisted that the UK would need to spell out a clear plan if Brexit does not happen on March 29.

Prime Minister Theresa May is considering bringing a deal back before the House of Commons for a third ‘meaningful vote’ this week.

And among those waiting on the sidelines will be East Lancashire’s farmers and bosses at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT).

Ben Briggs, editor of the Lancashire-based Farmers Guardian and a sheep farmer in Ribchester, said: “The sector most immediately impacted by a no-deal Brexit would be sheep farmers because of their reliance on the export trade.

“With a third of UK lamb and sheep meat exported, and 95 per cent of that going into Europe, anything that limits that trade could have a negative impact on prices.

“Recent moves to bring in prohibitive tariffs on sheep meat imports to the UK in the wake of a no-deal Brexit have been welcomed. But it would still be a huge leap in the dark.

“Of course, supermarkets and retailers could seek to stock more UK farm products. But with price such a major factor for a lot of consumers it is doubtful they would want to turn their backs on cheaper imports completely.

“Whatever happens, if Brexit goes ahead it could lead to one of the biggest changes in Lancashire farming for several generations as the agricultural financial support infrastructure changes in the coming years.”

The latest board papers for ELHT, which runs the likes of the Royal Blackburn and Burnley General hospitals, show that there are currently 117 EU nationals, who might be affected in the event of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit scenario.

But bosses at the hospital trust insist that contingency plans have been drawn up ­— which is said to involve a “significant number” of doctors and nurses ­— if such circumstances were to happen.