General Election 2017 : Candidate meets NFU

Members of the National Farmers’ Union quizzed UKIP’s General Election candidate for the Newark constituency at an event held in Coddington.

Xandra Arundel, a cognitive behavioural psychotherapist with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust working in Newark and wider Nottinghamshire, spoke about the impact of leaving the EU on Britain’s agricultural industry, Brexit and social care.

“Overall, we are determined that farmers should not suffer or lose out from being out of the European Union,” she said.

“We want to do everything that increases productivity and protects our food industries because they are our life-blood.

“We support evidence-based farming to make sure that whatever we use is safe.

“You know your industry and you are the experts, and it’s important to make sure we keep open channels of communication.”

When pressed on the impact on farmers of Britain leaving the European Union, she said: “It will reduce a lot of bureaucracy.

“We want to make farm payments a bit more tailored to what they (farmers) need. That is why it is important to talk to farmers.

“We will introduce more agricultural colleges and make sure there is not less money available for agriculture.”

'It's about taking some of those rules back'

When asked by Barnby-in-the-Willows farmer Mr Robert Bett about concerns over tariffs being placed on British imports from the EU, Xandra Arundel said: “I think the healthier option is to eat home-grown food.”

She said UKIP supported a free vote in Parliament on the issue of genetically-modified crops.

When asked by Mr Robert Shaw, a farmer near Caunton, about keeping a level playing field with Europe in light of possible different rules and regulations for imports and exports, Xandra Arundel said: “In the Great Repeal Bill, a lot of EU rules and regulations have been included automatically.

“But it’s about taking some of those rules back.”

The candidate, who lives in Long Bennington, was asked about social care after the focus placed on Conservative policy this week.

She said: “We are talking about a more integrated approach to health and social care, which would probably be a more cost-effective solution.

“The most important thing about leaving the EU is that we can decide where money goes.”