A steady stream of reaction statements have been issued today by industry and political organisations following the UK’s vote to leave the European Union. Following is a summary of some of the key comments, so far:
EU, EC and EP
Joint Statement by Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, Mark Rutte, Holder of the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, and Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission:
“The British people have expressed their wish to leave the EU. We regret this decision but respect it. This is an unprecedented situation but we are united in our response. We will stand strong and uphold the EU’s core values of promoting peace and the well-being of its peoples. The Union of 27 Member States will continue.
“The ‘New Settlement for the UK within the EU’ reached on 18-19 February 2016, will now not take effect and ceases to exist. There will be no renegotiation.”
NOAH
National Association of Animal Health (NOAH), chief executive, Dawn Howard, said: “We are committed to working with the UK regulator, government representatives and other stakeholder organisations on any forthcoming changes to regulations or market access conditions. NOAH will continue to robustly represent our sector’s interests and work hard to ensure continuing access to all veterinary medicines to benefit the health and welfare of our animals and promote innovation across our UK animal medicines sector.”
NFU Scotland
NFU Scotland president, Allan Bowie, said: “We will be at the centre of any discussions on new arrangements for our food and farming sector. There is a need for these discussions to commence quickly so that the many businesses who benefit from support from the CAP and value the markets we have established for our produce in Europe and further afield can plan for the future. Significant sectors of our industry are also very reliant on a workforce sourced from other parts of the EU and we need to establish any implications for their businesses.
“With the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron announced this morning, the political implications of the vote are huge. The political landscape across the UK is now in a period of flux and speculation is likely to be unhelpful.”
AIC
Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) chief executive, David Caffall, said: “As of today AIC, like the rest of the country, has no clear idea of how events will unfold. We will be seeking clarification on what this decision means in terms of market options; regulations and the timetable for the changes that will inevitably occur. We therefore begin a new pro-active period, being fully committed to gain clarity for our members as scenarios and timescales unfold, and lobbying to ensure emerging policies and regulations are as practical and pragmatic as possible where it affects the agricultural supply industry.”
QMS
Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) chairman, Jim McLaren, said: “While there are still a great many unknowns in terms of the full implications of today’s outcome, as an organisation we are in a strong position to adapt and continue to deliver for our industry in the changing environment in which we will be working. In the coming weeks the QMS board will be considering our response to the key implications of this week’s decision and we will also be working closely with other organisations in our industry throughout the UK.”