ISSUE
Gleadell Agriculture Limited
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Viewpoint AUTUMN 2016 • SERIES 2
Inside this edition of Viewpoint Market Outlook Pages 2 and 3
Priorities for Brexit Now that we have seen the will of the UK electorate and, it seems, the clear will of the majority of UK farmers, we need to press our case as an industry for what the UK combinable crop sector needs to see in a Brexit deal. The first priority is to ensure that the existence of a sustainable, thriving and dynamic domestic crop production industry is considered to be of vital national importance by the powers that be. There is a danger that other industries with beefier Whitehall departments and much betterresourced lobbying organisations will push us and our industry’s concerns to the back of what will be a long and quarrelsome queue. The AIC and other partner associations have already begun the work of illuminating the important ‘must haves‘ for the negotiations that are probably going to start next year. There is no space here to list them all but the key point is that we need the right people, with the right knowledge, to be involved intimately in the negotiations that lie ahead. There will be no time for people to learn on the job and perhaps the availability of these people and their willingness to play their part will be the first major problem to overcome.
Ideally we need open, free-market access to sell our products across the EU and to import its goods on the same basis, as currently is the case. Whether this is possible remains to be seen, given the fact that we are told repeatedly that free market access goes hand in hand with free movement of labour and people, which is a major potential stumbling block. We need UK government to commit to the provision of firstclass, reliable and accurate data for all crops. We need to know how much we have of something and whether it is in surplus or in deficit, so all industry participants are able to make sensible business decisions. In the upcoming negotiations the UK has benefits to offer, for example excellent standards of traceable, sustainable and credible crop production. Our farm assurance schemes are still the envy of many and offer consumers across the world a high benchmark. The UK is renowned as a flexible, capable and safe producer of crops and this is of significant value to customers, wherever they are. The next three years may represent the most challenging UK farming has had to face in half a century. The referendum has been decided but what it means in reality, for all market participants, remains a big unknown. And, with elections across key European states in the next couple of years, the political landscape, and perhaps the EU itself, may yet change again. David Sheppard, managing director, Gleadell Agriculture
Gleadell’s expert traders provide an overview of the key commodity markets and discuss prospects for the coming months to help aid those all-important marketing decisions.
Brexit – what does the future hold? Pages 4 and 5 Graham Redman of Andersons provides a valuable early insight into the future of farm supports and trade following the UK’s decision to leave the EU, and to how farmers might best prepare.
Seed and fertiliser reports Pages 6 and 7 Seed manager Chris Guest lines up the main spring cropping options, while fertiliser manager Calum Findlay examines the nitrogen fertiliser market.
Mobile seed cleaning and treating Page 8 Gleadell’s new high-tech mobile seed-treating and grain-cleaning unit is equipped with the latest colour sorter, enabling farmers to upgrade grain specs or optimise seed quality quickly and cost effectively.