The NFU is seeking an urgent meeting with the Government, highlighting how Brexit uncertainty is now "hugely damaging" the industry.
The union has criticised the lack of progress at the recent EU Council meeting on Wednesday night (17 October) for prolonging uncertainty within the industry.
Both the UK and the EU failed to come to an agreement on how the new post-Brexit relationship will work, with Prime Minister Theresa May now proposing an extension to the transition period "for a few months."
Many had expected Wednesday's summit to play a decisive role in moving the Brexit negotiations along.
Because of prolonged uncertainty and the prospect of a 'no deal' Brexit edging closer, the NFU has warned that such a scenario could bring farms to the "brink of collapse", and that it is the "Armageddon scenario" for the British farming industry.
The union is now seeking an urgent meeting with the "highest level" of Government.
NFU President Minette Batters said that the uncertainty now facing farmers and growers is "hugely damaging". She reminded Government that this is a sector that produces the raw ingredients for the UK’s largest manufacturing sector, food and drink.
Mrs Batters said: “More than two years on from the EU referendum, farmers and growers are still faced with considerable uncertainty around what the future will look like for their businesses.
“From a new EU trading relationship to how businesses will be able to recruit a competent and reliable workforce, the lack of clarity and current timescales are now seriously undermining farming’s ability to plan ahead.
She added: “Understanding the trading environment you are operating in is vital to any business. For long-term businesses like farming, it is completely unacceptable.”
The NFU President explained how farmers are having to plan now what they will produce and where it will be sold, doing so without any awareness of what the trading environment will be.
The NFU continues to maintain that "free and frictionless" trade is central to a viable future for British food and farming.
She added: “The potential of leaving without a deal is unthinkable for British farming and I urge both sides to continue negotiations to reach a deal that works for everyone.
“I am now seeking an urgent meeting with the highest levels of the UK Government to stress the urgency of the situation now facing us.”
