What will happen to farmers like me when Brexit turns our industry upside down? | Edward Barker

Uncertainty seems the only thing we can be sure of after 25 years of EU regulation. But this could also be an opportunity to make decisions for ourselves

I manage a mixed 500 hectare farm in Northamptonshire growing cereals, and supporting a beef and sheep enterprise. As the weeks went by during the Brexit referendum campaign, it became clear that the plight of British agriculture was something of a footnote, occasionally referenced by remain and leave politicians as a means of supporting their view. However, it is hard to think of any other sectors more affected by the vote to leave the EU than agriculture.

What is now clear is just how much the EU, along with its rules and regulations, has become central to agriculture over the past 25 years - and for good reason. Agriculture is complicated; it oversees the food we eat and the environment we live in. It is, in many respects, an appropriate competence for the EU. But no more - our government is now left with the task of repatriating all these rules, within a department, Defra, that has seen huge cuts to its operations over the past seven years.