The EU referendum debate took a personal turn this week when the Defra farming minister, George Eustice, was branded “a lightweight” by a predecessor, Sir Jim Paice.
Speaking during a visit to Scotsheep in Peeblesshire, Sir Jim, who was farming minister from 2010-12, said Mr Eustice’s belief that the British Treasury would devote adequate resources to agriculture in the event of a Brexit was “just wrong”.
“George Eustice is a lightweight. Clearly he hasn’t cleared or agreed what he’s saying about his alleged policies for agriculture with the top of the Leave campaign,” he said.
“He has been talking about maintaining levels of support or even increasing it whereas the leaders of the Leave campaign have been implicit in saying there will be less support.”
Sir Jim said that he had been under huge pressure throughout his term in office to cut expenditure and to press for “slashing or abolishing the Cap”. And he said the former Defra secretary, Owen Paterson MP, and Mr Eustice were arguing for a leave vote on the basis that a UK Government would be sympathetic to agriculture.
“Now, set aside the present government – and obviously I have a bias towards it – but this is a deal that’s going to last for decades. And it’s conceivable that in the next decade or two we will get a government of a very different complexion with no sympathy for agriculture. We live in an urban society and that urban nature is going to be governing if we are independent (of Europe),” he said.
“The RSPB will still be here. Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth will still be lobbying, probably even more strongly.
“British farming gains from the political weight of farmers in the EU. Outside the EU British farming – and I hate to say it – will not count for much.”
In a response to the comments, George Eustice appealed to farmers not to allow themselves to become bullied or frightened by the scare tactics of the Remain campaign.
He said: “The prime minister had been very clear that the government would still support agriculture if we leave the EU and it has been the consistent position of those campaigning for a leave vote that we would support it at the same level.
“We could deliver the change our farming industry craves if we vote to leave the EU and take control.”