Ben Barnett: Duke of York's Brexit business confidence will be tested at Great Yorkshire Show

The Duke of York was this week named as the Royal visitor for the 161st Great Yorkshire Show. Twenty-four hours later and he gave a television interview in which he said he saw “no reason” why entrepreneurs he has supported through his Pitch@Palace event could not be successful either inside the European Union or “operating in an even larger external market”.

The Duke of York as he hosts a Pitch@Palace event at Buckingham Palace in London on Wednesday June 12, 2019. The Duke founded Pitch@Palace to help and accelerate the work of entrepreneurs. Picture by Steve Parsons/PA Wire.

Brexit uncertainty now 'untenable' for farmers - industry leaders insist

Royal visitor confirmed for 161st Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate

Ben Barnett: Farming now has an attentive audience for best and worst reasonsThe Royal’s comments came as he staged his latest Pitch event, a project he began to connect start-ups with investors, mentors and industry figures, and while his support of UK business is commendable, when he visits the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate next month, he must be aware that there are plenty of reasons why UK farming is nervous about operating in a different marketplace.

The National Farmers’ Union, among others, has been adamant of the need to avoid a ‘hard Brexit’, repeatedly imploring politicians to strike a deal with the EU that secures “frictionless trade” with British agriculture’s biggest customer.

On the same day as The Duke of York’s comments, the union published an open letter in which its president, Minette Batters, urged Tory leadership candidates to commit to delivering a Brexit that “creates the right conditions for British farming to thrive”, including as free and frictionless trade in agri-food goods as possible and immigration rules that maintain access to a seasonal and permanent workforce.

Mrs Batters wrote: “As the industry potentially most affected by the decision to leave the EU, the next Prime Minister has a unique opportunity and responsibility to shape the future of British farming, food production and the countryside we all value so highly.

“Get it right and the rewards can be huge; get it wrong and we could see the decimation of Britain’s ability to feed itself and to care for our iconic landscapes. For this reason, the next

Prime Minister must commit to doing everything in their power to avoid a hugely damaging no-deal Brexit.”

Any government minister who attends the Great Yorkshire Show can expect similarly strong sentiments to be directed their way too.

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