A FIGHT is brewing over where the power will lie in the post-Brexit United Kingdom, with Scottish farming bodies concerned over the new White Paper on Internal Markets issued by Boris Johnson's Conservative Government.

Within the EU, the regulation of markets and things like food standards was agreed in Brussels, with input from all Member States – but outwith the EU, who gets to decide the rules and standards that will govern the UK's internal market is a political hot potato, reopening the debate over the extent and functions of devolution.

Since Brexit was set in motion, work has been afoot on 'Common Frameworks' upon which Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland could agree, while still retaining flexibility to adapt the market rulebook to their local needs.

However, then UK government White Paper has surprised the devolved administrations by ditching that model in favour of more Westminster-based decision making. While the usual political fault-lines between Holyrood and Westminster undoubtedly colour this issue, two of Scotland's determinedly non-political farming organisations have also sounded a warning over Westminster's plans.

NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick said: “The proposal on ‘mutual recognition’ contained in the paper raises the potential for Common Frameworks to be rendered meaningless.

“Since 2017, the Common Frameworks process has intended to specifically manage policy differences between all parts of the UK based on agreement and founded on respect for devolution.

“However, the UK Internal Market proposals put forward limit the devolved administrations’ ability to act if any standards were lowered and give the UK Government a final say in areas of devolved policy, such as agriculture, the environment or animal health and welfare," said Mr McCornick.

“As it stands, the UK Government proposals for legislation on a UK Internal Market undermine the Common Frameworks process both in principle, as they move from agreement to imposition, and in practice by removing the incentive for the UK Government and the devolved administrations to agree ways of aligning and managing differences when mutual recognition rules require acceptance of standards from other parts of the UK.”

The Scottish Crofting Federation agreed with the NFUS' dim view of the new plan – SCF chair Yvonne White said: “Having scrutinised this incoherent white paper at length, we cannot find evidence to support the need for this legislation. The UK Internal Market is undoubtedly important, but so too is the need to maintain our present access to Europe for our high quality beef and lamb exports. The criteria for UK internal trade must be agreed by all four nations, and not be imposed on us.

Ms White continued: “In common with other Scottish food producers, we fear that the proposed legislation will lead to a race to the bottom, threatening our high standards in food, environment and animal welfare, thus damaging the image of Scottish produce. These standards are best safeguarded by the Scottish Parliament. Likewise our Parliament needs to retain control over agricultural support, as enshrined in the current devolution settlement. Any weakening of that position will pose an existential threat to the hill livestock sector, which is, after all, the backbone of crofting.”

A coalition of 40 of Scotland’s environment charities has also warned that the UK government’s internal market plan might allow a 'regulatory race to the bottom', leading Emma Harper MSP to comment: “No government has done more to undermine devolution than Boris Johnson's – which has bypassed the devolved nations at every and any opportunity, and trampled all over the hard-won powers of devolution in an attempt to cosy-up to Donald Trump.

“Despite claims to the contrary, this Tory government has proven time and again that it can't be trusted with Scotland's agriculture industry."