Speaking at the South West Young Farmers Clubs Federation's Spring Conference, George Eustice MP called for farmers to increase their collaboration so that they have greater influence in trade negotiations.
Cornish MP, George, a former farmer himself, was speaking to an audience of 80 leading young farmers who had gathered in Newquay for the event. George said that "Organised farming has an important role to play in the issue of farmers getting a fair slice of the cake. It's not easy for the Government to dictate how much farmers are paid for their produce. But the big multiples are coercing farmers, who have very litte individual clout because they can't find another market."
George was answering questions posed by Nick Creasy, County Organiser of the Devon Federation of YFCs, in a Rural Affairs forum. Also on the panel, chaired by YFC national representative, Milly Wastie, were Graeme Cox, Chairman of the Mole Valley Farmers, Melanie Hall, Regional Director of the NFU, and Peter Olds, former Chairman od Praze YFC.
Other topics on the agenda were animal welfare, free trade, and the future of the CAP. On the latter, George forecast that the coming decades would see a far more flexible and fair arrangement but warned that European bureaucracy meant that progress was slower than he would like.