Brexit deadline piles pressure on UK farmers to export surplus
Written by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent
No deal would drastically curtail access to EU while entry to Africa would come at price
Farmers across the UK are scrambling to finish their harvests and ship their surpluses abroad before the Brexit deadline of 31 October, when a no-deal departure would force them to abandon European markets in favour of Africa.
There has been a relatively good harvest of wheat and barley this year after the rollercoaster weather of 2018, when a freezing spring followed by a record-breaking heatwave wrought havoc. “Exports have continued at a strong pace since the first weeks of August,” said David Eudall, the head of arable market specialists at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.
Related: Half of UK farms could fail after no-deal Brexit, report warns
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