[dragonmum]

The EU's common agricultural policy was actively favoring and subsidizing large EU based multinationals and blocking entry into the market by small scale farmers and producers in developing countries. Seems to me like a huge new market called "the UK" just opened up for genuine and fair trade. So overall, this is probably good for hundreds of millions of people around the world.

[viraptor]

The policies don't have to change. It's not like the UK severs all the connections with everyone. Multinationals will stay and ensure the new policies and trade treaties allow them to continue.

[ivan_gammel]

Isn't UK going to protect its own businesses and jobs? Not everyone is pro-trade in Leave camp, afaik.

[tonyedgecombe]

Yes, the UK still grows half it's own food, those businesses will be lobbying hard.

[emp_zealoth]

Just what. Poland pretty much had only small scale farmers (Apart from some post-communist behemoths that were gangrenic) when it joined the EU. Our farmers have never been better or stronger, 15 years ago going to a countryside was like time travel to 1950. Now the countryside actually is a place to live. Same in Austria or Italy. The cooperatives there function properly. What are you on about?

[dragonmum]

Please read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Agricultural_Policy

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the agricultural policy of the European Union. It implements a system of agricultural subsidies and other programmes. It has been repeatedly criticised for its cost (€57.8 billion in 2014)[1] and its environmental and humanitarian effects, including raising food prices and stalling development in poorer countries by preventing them from exporting food to the EU.

[keithpeter]

"a huge new market called "the UK" just opened up for genuine and fair trade"

That would be fun to see. How do these small farmers get stuff onto the shelves of Tesco and Lidl (while the latter are still trading here)?

Room for some intermediation?

[YeGoblynQueenne]

At last UK farmers can sell their top quality fruit and vegetables to the rest of the world.

[StrangeWhiff]

Not without trade agreements that may take years to negotiate.

Also, UK farmers get over half their income from EU subsidies. So many of them are going to go bankrupt unless they get bailed out/supported by the government.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/11967049/Brexit...

[YeGoblynQueenne]

Sorry, I thought my sarcasm was evident. To anyone who's tasted UK-grown fruit and veg, it must be.

[keithpeter]

Its a Tory government, of course they will be supported. Green wellies &c.

Manufacturing not so much.

[junto]

There is nobody left to pick it. We are about to throw out ask the Romanians and Bulgarians who do that hard graft, because no Brit will do the hard work for little money.