FARMERS who are becoming increasingly concerned about Brexit are joining campaigners calling for a people’s vote.

A group will join activists in Leyburn today, timed to coincide with one of the biggest sheep auctions of the year.

Volunteers from North Yorkshire for Europe will be handing out leaflets and collecting signatures at the town’s livestock auction and in the nearby market square.

The campaigners are calling for the public to be given a vote on the Government’s Brexit plans.

Among those taking part is Jane Parlour, who farms sheep and beef cattle at Dalton-on-Tees, near Darlington.

She said: “Farmers are changing their views and realising Brexit is not such a good idea.

“Farmers around Leyburn and further up the dale in Wensleydale and Swaledale depend on exports of light lambs for their livelihoods.

“But it’s not just the lamb exports that might go - what could also be very damaging is if we start bringing in meat products that are not produced to the same welfare and quality standards required by the EU that consumers in the UK rightly expect.

“I think a lot of farmers will be thinking, what is the Prime Minister going to Africa for – was part of the reason to do with importing sub-standard food products that do not meet EU standards?”

Concerns for North Yorkshire farmers were highlighted recently by NFU President Minette Batters, who said tariff-free, frictionless access to the European marketplace was crucial not just for farmers but also for the wider supply chain.