The EU is threatening to hammer British farmers as soon as Labour’s Brexit reset “deal” comes into force.
If and when he becomes Prime Minister, Andy Burnham will be forced to endure Brussels bureaucrats looking to impose the bloc’s food standards on Britain.
The EU is looking to immediately implement a ban on pesticides, which are legal in Britain but banned in the bloc, in an alignment on food standards.
British Government officials have proposed a “transition period” for British farmers to adjust back to the EU regulations.
Without this transition period, supermarkets would be forced to pull products made using banned crop treatments, including pesticides and fungicides.
A study by the Andersons Centre found arable, horticulture and sugar sectors in Britain would face a hit of as much as £810million if no transition period is provided.
Tom Bradshaw, the president of the National Farmers’ Union, said: “With the EU-UK summit now postponed, it is vital more than ever that the Government secures a meaningful transitional period for the agricultural sector, as any push towards a 2027 implementation risks being wholly unworkable in practice.
“Farming operates on long-term production cycles and cannot change overnight.
“Forcing change on such a tight timeline would have serious consequences for productivity, investment and confidence across the industry.
“Without sufficient time to adapt, the impact on farming could prove incredibly challenging.”
The Government had hoped to conclude the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) negotiations in a UK-EU meeting on July 22, but after Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation, the European Union has postponed the summit.
Sources in Brussels told The Telegraph that Mr Burnham is seen to be “more amenable” to the EU’s demands.
Antonio Costa, the European Council’s President, said: “In a nutshell, we are reassessing together with the UK, but it’s also obvious that circumstances have changed and this means that we will need to postpone the summit.”
A source familiar with the discussions said the transitional period was one of the “trickiest” issues on the table, and had intentionally been “left to the end” of the talks.
Despite the summit’s delay, technical-level talks are still set to continue.
Insiders admitted the pause in talks has removed time pressure on them to find solutions for other issues, including negotiations on energy, carbon emissions and youth mobility.
Sir Keir is believed to have held up negotiations as he refused to make concessions to Brussels – including fees paid by EU students at English universities.
Brussels sources said the summit is likely to be rescheduled for late October or early November, after the party conference season in the UK.
Brussels usually gives farmers about six months to adjust to the changes and British negotiators believe they have convinced European counterparts to grant the period.
Final decisions, however, were set to be made at the now-postponed summit.
A Government spokesman told The Telegraph: “We will not give a running commentary on ongoing talks.
“Our agrifood deal will add up to £5.1billion a year to our economy, slashing the costly red tape that only helps drive up supermarket prices.
“We have kept British businesses informed throughout this process and will continue to work closely with them to ensure they can take advantage of easier access to our largest trading partner.”
