Speaking at the Tolpuddle Martyrs' Festival, Jeremy Corbyn warned of the effects that leaving the European Union without a deal may have on rural communities across the UK.
Nearly 500,000 jobs will be put at risk, he said, due to fluctuating prices and interrupted supply chains, with the majority of potential job losses in the South West.
Currently 65,000 people are employed in the agricultural sector in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Bristol and Bath.
The majority of jobs in the South West are from beef and dairy farming, which may be strongly effected by a No Deal Brexit. In this case, all UK exports of animals and animal-based products would effectively be stopped from entering the EU temporarily until the UK is ‘listed’ as an approved country for export. Tariffs would likely also force up prices for, and push down consumption of, British dairy and beef.
Speaking at the festival, Jeremy Corbyn, said:
“No Deal would devastate our agricultural sector, and see us reduced to eating chlorinated chicken from the US. No deal is the worst possible outcome for our society."
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