Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of the agricultural sector on the implications on agriculture of the UK leaving the EU.

Stakeholder engagement is at the core of our plans to build a national consensus around our negotiating position; we are listening and talking to as many organisations, companies and institutions as we can. The Secretary of State and Junior Ministers will aim to visit every sector and every region of the UK.

I have recently heard from a range of stakeholders at meetings on agriculture. These have included meetings with the National Farmers’ Union, the Farmers’ Union of Wales, the National Pig Association and attendance at DEFRA’s stakeholder roundtables, one of which focused on farming and horticulture.