I spent a very interesting morning today at pig farmer Richard Lister’s farm, near Thirsk, discussing a range of issues including the implications of Brexit for the sector. One of the issues of concern is Public Procurement Regulation (PPR) where the emphasis has been on cost rather than high British Standards and I promised to raise this with the Secretary of State, Michael Gove. Whilst Mr Lister was optimistic about the potential new export market and new streams of domestic support for the agricultural industry post Brexit, I took on board the priority farmers place on continued tariff free access to the EU and the threat posed by cheap, lower standard imports, the importance of improving border biosecurity and concerns over future access to EU labour and I will make sure that I represent their views in Westminster. I was hugely impressed by the tremendous work the industry, as a whole, is doing in introducing modern farming practices. This includes the use of more modern buildings with natural temperature controls and, in particular, a reduction in the use of anti-biotics on livestock by as much as 60% by replacing them with other methods such as autogenous vaccinations which directly target the problem. As I have been campaigning for a reduction in the use of anti-biotics this is particularly welcome news.