The UK’s decision to leave the European Union is likely to lead to the most significant period of change for the agricultural engineering industry in a generation. Many of the changes which happen because of Brexit will make a big difference to AEA member companies.
These include the nature of our future trading relationships with the EU and major non-EU markets; future UK agricultural policy; the availability of migrant workers for agri-food businesses; the extent and nature of any customs processes and declarations; the regulatory framework and any changes to testing and approval processes; and intellectual property rights. In most cases, these will depend on the outcome of negotiations between the UK and the EU over the coming months.
During this period of uncertainty, AEA’s responsibility is to ensure that the industry emerges from this period in as strong a position as possible. We are doing that in three main ways:
As well as working with pre-existing partnerships on Brexit, AEA has also joined the newly-formed Agri-Brexit Coalition. This is a group of eight trade associations and professional bodies involved in supplying products, services and advice to farmers. It aims to work with UK governments to shape a Post-Brexit world where a productive and sustainable agriculture benefits the nation’s economy and environment, by:
