Farmers split over no-deal Brexit

Nearly half of UK farmers would be happy with a no-deal Brexit, despite the grim warnings issued by many farming organisations, according to an exclusive Farmers Weekly poll.

In the latest Farmers Weekly Sentiment Tracker, 57% said they would not be happy with a no-deal Brexit, while 43% said they would.

Concern about leaving without a deal was strongest in Yorkshire and Humberside, Northern Ireland and Scotland, while farmers in Wales, the north of England and south-east England were most relaxed about the prospect.

The monthly survey also found:

• Optimism about farm business prospects is at its lowest since the survey started just over a year ago
• Most farmers expect input prices to rise and output prices to fall over the coming year, with farmers significantly more pessimistic about output prices than a year ago.

Almost 300 farmers took part in the survey, conducted via email in August.