Video: Lord Plumb and Kendall unequivocal on EU referendum

Eminent agricultural leaders Lord Henry Plumb and Sir Peter Kendall say they will be voting to remain in the EU. 

Sir Kendall, who was NFU president for eight years and is now chairman of the AHDB, questioned whether markets would be “thrown open to the cheapest imports”. He said he was not speaking for AHDB, but personally, and added:

“As for single farm payments, already people are talking about pouring that money into the national health service or the police – I don’t believe out of Europe farming will be given the priority it needs.”

Lord Plumb, who was NFU president in the 1970s when Britain entered the European Economic Community, said it would be “stupid” to leave the EU and it risked splitting the UK.

During his time in office he successfully negotiated greater support for British agriculture in the newly formed CAP, before going on to become an MEP and later president of the European Parliament itself.

See also: Poll: Have your say – EU in or out?

Speaking to Farmers Weekly, Lord Plumb, said, “It would be stupid to leave Europe after all these many years we’ve been involved”

“The rest of the world wants to pour into Europe at the moment – why – because we are more united than elsewhere”

“It is so stupid as to even contemplate – we could end up splitting up the UK and where would little England be left?”