//National Farmers Union seems to think UK agriculture will be devastated by leaving without a deal//
Well they would, wouldn’t they? Their members have been drawing vast sums of money from the EU via its Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for four decades. Those funds have been provided principally by the taxpayers of Germany, the UK, France, Italy and the Netherlands (with a small number of “also rans” chipping in a few quid). The CAP was supposed to be reformed in return for the UK forfeiting some of what was quaintly termed its “rebate” (which, correctly described, is allowing us to keep some of our own money). The rebate was reduced, the CAP remained largely as it was.
But all this is by the way. The “free trade negotiations” were nothing of the sort. They were an extortionate last ditch attempt by the EU to maintain political control of the UK’s trade and fiscal policy as much as it could in order to protect its members from what it terms “unfair competition”. No other trade deal in the world – including those which the EU has managed to secure - makes provision for any of the participants to have a say over such policies of their trading partners.
If you prefer to be governed by a cabal of unelected foreigners then the EU is the place for you. Fortunately, so it finally seems, if you want to enjoy such governance you will have to seek citizenship of one of the remaining 27 members.