Apart from being a highly enjoyable and entertaining watch, Jeremy Clarkson’s most recent series, Clarkson’s Farm, has highlighted the difficulties of modern-day farming in the UK.

While many undoubtedly tuned in to see their favourite middle-aged car enthusiast turned rural farmer, the demanding challenges of existing in the British agricultural sector were not lost on the British public. Clarkson farmed his farm for a year and turned a meagre profit of £144, which only added to the long list of hurdles, quagmires, and failures which plagued his efforts from the start. Entertaining though it was, Clarkson has managed to shine a spotlight on the daily struggles of British farmers; the very people we may need to rely on heavily once again.

According to the National Farmers’ Union, the UK imports 45% of its vegetables and 84% of its fruit, and when it comes to “British” veg, the EU is our main supplier. This is a situation which has become more questionable considering developments such as Brexit and the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

Brexit

When Britain decided to leave the European Union in 2016, the last thing on anybody’s mind was the prospect of running out of peas. Yet, five years later, the UK could be faced with shortages of lettuce, broccoli, and citrus fruit. Fears have taken on a new edge recently, in light of the new UK-Australia trade deal causing challenges for domestic meat producers, as the potential for tariff-free imports to flood the market becomes more likely.

Farmers were able to breathe a sigh of relief in January when it transpired that they would be able to trade with the EU without tariffs or quotas, but this relief could be premature. While trading without quotas is a good deal for British farmers, there are still significant hurdles to overcome when thinking about supply chains, paperwork, customs, and overseas competition.

When referring to the new UK-Australia trade deal, Minette Batters, President of the National Farmers Union, has made clear warnings concerning British meat exports. Batters stated that:

“If we give away our negotiating capital to Australia, which is the second-largest exporter of beef in the world, second to Brazil, the others would most definitely want it.”

Now that the UK has officially left the EU, it no longer has the preferential treatment that many EU countries receive and is forced to conduct business with Europe as a third country. In addition to this, the relatively small agriculture sector of the UK (just 0.61% of GDP) will have trouble competing with other producers like the USA, where the agricultural sector is larger (5.2% of US GDP). All in all, tariff-free or not, exporting British produce got a lot harder following the decision to leave Europe.

This is not an opinion shared by everyone however, as the trade secretary, Liz Truss, told the BBC that Australian beef would not flood the UK market. Truss claimed that Australian imports would simply act to replace those lost due to Brexit, rather than crowd out British farmers as some suspect.

Coronavirus

As if the current economic climate was not bad enough, the ill-timed pandemic has also added to the burdens of British farmers. Domestic demand for produce has decreased significantly as pubs and restaurants saw fewer and fewer customers throughout the lockdown. In many cases, this not only resulted in beer being poured down the drain, but difficulties when it comes to the production capacity of products like bottled, cask, and canned beer.

As Jeremy Clarkson demonstrated throughout his aforementioned series on farming, similar challenges were faced when it comes to meat production. Clarkson endeavoured to open his own farm shop and sell the meat from his lambs, but quickly found that the cost of producing the packaged meat outweighed the profit. In the final episode of the series, Clarkson notes in an optimistic tone that:

“It had cost £5000 to raise and butcher the lambs but they were so popular with the locals; it looked like we might even get a couple of hundred quid back”

When it comes to the wool from the very same sheep, it turned out to be practically worthless. The picture for beef and pork was rosier during the pandemic however, as sales of both meats increased due to customers seeking out easy-cook options. Positive, but not as profitable as one might think, as supermarkets slashed prices during promotional offers in an attempt to entice customers. Overall, the pandemic life of the average farmer has been more challenging than most.

The role of tech

Farm machinery was one of the most significant leaps forward in the agricultural sector. Running more efficient machines and reducing reliance on human labour allowed farming to become the industry that it is today. Now that we are here however, the revolution of farm tech has spiralled into out of date and costly machinery that relies on foreign imports for their upkeep. Large machinery producers like John Deere and CNH Global are based abroad, which introduces both a logistical and diplomatic problem.

Following Brexit, the ease of access to machinery from the Netherlands, for example, has disappeared. Now, as farmers in a third-country, British producers will be required to jump through even more hoops before they can get their hands on the vital parts required to keep them farming.

Moreover, it is possible that importing from the USA will become more costly as the British economy is forced to rely more heavily on non-EU options for trade. It has been noted that the two economies could benefit from one another if there were to be a mutual lowering of tariffs, but it seems unlikely that a positive, or any, trade deal will materialise in the next few years.

Outlook

It is unlikely that Britain will become so isolated as to require an economic policy of autarky, but Brexit has introduced a challenging situation for trade around the country.

In the already suffering agricultural sector, this problem has threatened the wellbeing of many farmers and the compounding effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed some to breaking point. A lot rests on the ability of the UK government to negotiate trade deals with other non-EU countries, but this could be the perfect opportunity for British agriculture to prosper once again. Currently, following the there is no minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Smart farming technology and home-grown farm innovation backed with government subsidies could be the answer to Britain’s farming crisis, but only time will tell as to whether farming will once again be given a prestigious place in one of the world’s most advanced economies.

About the Author: Isaac Knowles

Isaac Knowles is a contributing current affairs Features writer. He focuses on social issues which face everyday people and has written on topics such as race, feminism, and poverty. While endeavouring to write in-depth pieces that make real-world impacts, Isaac has developed significant expertise in the fields of politics, economics, and human rights.