Cabinet minister risks farmers’ fury by claiming a no-deal Brexit will bring ‘new opportunities’

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A no-deal Brexit offers “new opportunities for British farmers”, a Cabinet minister has claimed – despite their warnings that it would be “catastrophic”. “And if you were to put tariffs on beef from Ireland, or dairy products from Denmark, or fresh produce from France, there would be new opportunities for British farmers.” The claim is certain to anger the National Farmers Union, which has warned of crippling cent export tariffs on the 60 per cent of UK food and drink that goes to the EU – if they were allowed at all. Mr Eustice was speaking as he unveiled new post-Brexit funding rules for farmers, requiring them to cut CO2 emissions and wildlife loss, but allowing them to “leave behind bureaucracy”, he said. “As we designed the new scheme, we want it to be less rules-based, much more based on an individual assessment of an individual farm and doing what's right for nature on that farm.” Insisting prices would remain stable, Mr Eustice added: “But we've got other measures in our Bill as well for making sure farmers get a fairer share of the value of the food they produce.”