Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski warns Welsh farmers could be better off after Brexit

Daniel Kawczynski, representing Shrewsbury and Atcham, has written to agriculture minister George Eustice seeking assurances that there will be a level playing field for farmers on both sides of the border when Britain leaves the EU.

He said while there were clear advantages of leaving the EU's Common Agricultural Policy, it was important to ensure that there was a common policy across the UK when Britain left the EU.

Mr Kawczynski said there were concerns among some farmers in his constituency that the devolved Welsh government might seek to provide extra subsidies when Britain leaves the EU, giving them an unfair advantage over those on the English side of the border.

"Many Shropshire farmers see benefits in pulling out of the CAP, but having an integrated policy serving the whole of the UK is in the interests of the British farming industry," he said.

"If you operate right on the border, as many of our farmers do, there's a worry the Welsh assembly may choose to support their farmers more than our Shropshire farmers are supported from London."

Mr Kawczynski added that the Agriculture Bill, set out for its first reading in September this year, would give powers to Welsh ministers to provide important assistance to farmers and rural businesses.

"These powers are not replicated for England," he wrote in his letter.

"In order to ensure fairness for farmers, regardless of which side of the internal border they fall, I believe it is necessary to replicate the powers bestowed to Welsh ministers.

"This would allow ministers governing solely English agriculture the ability to reduce the potential for distortion in the UK internal market.

"Maintaining a level playing field within the UK internal market is not only important for those 575 cross-border farms in the UK, but also for all farm businesses wherever they farm."

The Agriculture Bill will see existing EU subsidies, which are based on how much land is farmed, replaced with a new system which rewards them for the public benefits they provide.

Farmers will be expected to sign environmental land management contracts detailing their commitments to protecting habitats, improving flood management and enhancing air and water quality.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said the Bill heralded a “brighter future” for farming.

“After nearly 50 years of being tied to burdensome and outdated EU rules, we have an opportunity to deliver a green Brexit,” he said.

"The bill will allow us to reward farmers who protect our environment, leaving the countryside in a cleaner, greener and healthier state for future generations.”

But ministers have not specified how much public money farmers would receive under the reforms.

The Government has currently committed to preserve payments at the level of the CAP until 2022.

After that, ministers will set farming budgets in blocks of several years, but it is yet to explain how that will be managed.