A farming leader said she was “extremely concerned” about the government position on international trade as Brexit approaches.

National Farmers’ Union (NFU) deputy president Minette Batters was part of an expert panel at this week’s NFU conference considering “unanswered questions” about the country’s future position.

“We are extremely concerned that the White Paper commits us to leaving the EU without having carried out any impact assessment as to what the consequences of trading under World Trade Organisation (WTO) default rules will have on rural Britain.

“If we don’t have a deal and we default to WTO rules, tariffs could be in place that price us out of the marketplace. There is a clear need for government to do this work,” she said.

“We have to do a deal with Europe and it is a deal that will shape our landscape for generations to come.”