05/09/2016 Inside Out East

From the price of food to cutting-edge science,

what's already changing after the Brexit vote?

We travel from Cambridgeshire to Poland with one of the UK's

People may think our farming can't move,

Some will say, it's more fertile, this region of Poland.

The weather's better, and we have the water,

and we just have to move the machinery.

The innovators in Cambridge ensuring the future.

What kind of money are we talking about here?

It will be tens of millions by next year.

You will be investing tens of millions of pounds,

just your venture capitalist firm, in Cambridge?

How one community responded after a Romanian shop was attacked.

When we saw all this help, it was like the changed our minds.

We said, we have to stay here, people love us here.

Revealing the stories that matter, closer to home.

Hello, welcome to the start of the new series.

I'm in Ely in Cambridgeshird, on the River Great Ouse.

Now, it's been nearly three months since the country

There's been all kinds of speculation

We're going to find out what is already happening

First, Anna Hill takes us on a journey from fields

here in Ely to Poland, with one of the UK's

They are wasting no time in ensuring the future of their business.

I'm Anna Hill, and I've been reporting on farming for thd BBC

I'm not really how things are going to pan out

Big growers like G's have f`ced years adapting to whatever

But now with the latest and one of the biggest challenges,

I am here to find out how it affects them as the grower

John Shropshire and his famhly have been farming in East Anglia

His attention to detail has brought success.

He owns G's, the biggest producer in the country of salad crops,

delivering a billion lettucds to our supermarkets every ydar.

As well as Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, John also farms in Spain

and Poland, so the decision to leave the EU is a game changer for him.

Well, Anna, we have about 24% of the UK's lettuce crop

that we are growing and this is Iceberg.

It's looking very good at the moment.

When we are talking about the changes in the European Union

and because we voted to leave the European Union, you might lose

How much difference is that going to make to your busindss?

I think losing the single m`rket is fundamentally the single biggest

risk, I think, from Brexit because it is a highly compdtitive

market, so we've got a lot of competition driving pricds down

we have actually got rid of the customs, we have got rid

of loads of paperwork, huge amounts of bureaucracy,

stacks of people in offices, government officials

inspecting every load - the list goes on and on that it's saved.

We joined the single market 24 years ago.

In 1992, we made a film abott G s as they were getting ready for it.

The changes then were about to cause upheaval for farming.

An open Europe created access to a market of millions

and the free movement of people to come and work here in thd UK

Back then, John used Polish agricultural students

In 1992, we asked him about his farm's prospects.

How do you see the future for Shropshire's both for this

It is going to get quite totgh I think farming in general

is going to get more compethtive and difficult, but there

are tremendous opportunities and I tink we will continue to grow

and that growth will be basdd on exports to the whole of Durope.

I'm interested to see if John is as optimistic now

So, John, how do you see the future for G's now?

Well, following Brexit, we have an uncertain world

so we don't really know what it is going to look like,

but we are very well placed to tackle to any scenario

the Government chooses for ts because we are farming in Poland,

we are farming in Spain, and we are now farming

So we can adapt to whatever scenario we are faced with.

There is no doubt that G's can change with the times.

But John thinks, unlike joining the single market 24 years `go,

the decisions he will have to make now may have a downside.

Over the years, the price of our lettuces has been gohng down,

partly due to Europe's single market,

and because our supermarkets have demanded lower and lower prhces

And John has been able to chart the cost over the years.

You've agreed to reveal to us the actual figures

of how much you get paid for an iceberg lettuce,

and how much that has changed over the years.

Well, this shows, over 25 years, how the pricd -

adjusted for inflation and currency - has basically halved

So we can see about ?1 here in 992, going down to 50p now.

So if the freedom of the single market, supplying to millions

what happens to the price of that iceberg lettuce?

Well, it's inevitable it's going to go up.

It's got to go up because all those savings have been passed

The consumer's had extraordhnary benefit from this.

To keep costs down, the big issue for G's here

and the solution may be a radical one.

If we can't bring the peopld to the work,

we will have to take the work to the people.

So that rig there, we load ht on a lorry and take it to Poland.

I am well placed - I can do what the government want me to do.

If the price of a lettuce is going to end up being higher

here in the UK, growing mord of them 1,000 miles away

John's son, Henry, runs the farm here in Cieslin in Poland.

In fact, Henry started on his post-Brexit plan

We immediately, within a wedk, saw the opportunity.

And it's one that we will really grab on to.

We have already started to find more landlords here to rent land.

The UK consumers, when it comes down to it,

it's all about price and, at this point,

we will never be able to deliver the price

that they expect for UK-grown produce onto

It's impossible, because with post-Brexit,

there are question marks ovdr the free movement of people

and that's a in itself is a deal breaker.

If we can't get the people to harvest, that's it, that's over.

That's why we will be coming here, we will be able to move

the land to the people, move the management here,

move the machines here and then start supplying into the UK

and giving what the UK constmer wants - and that's a cheap,

fresh, good-quality product which is what we will be able

The land in this part of Poland is just as fertile

Today, Henry is meeting his technician

The soil is black, like the soil in the Fens.

There's a lot of moisture still in this soil, even

There are plans to expand, and Henry is meeting a local farmer

who's growing beans on this field, but is happy to rent it to G's

I think this is perfect land to grow celery on,

and we are metres from the factory where we will be able

to vacuum, cool and dispatch straight to customers.

So a short distance from thd time it is cut to the time

A manager on Henry's farm can translate for them.

It is crucial that G's invest for the future.

We are pushing our UK marketing team to start to introduce a Polhsh

So, yes, we have started ramping it up.

We have started bringing more machinery from the UK.

So all we have to do put it on a lorry and bring it herd.

You know, people may think farming can't move,

The land is actually, some will say, more fertile

The weather is better and we have the water -

which we may not have in thd UK in two or three years' time.

The move to the single markdt all those years ago created

The changes now could transform farming for companies like G's.

Well, it's clear that big producers will have

to adapt to survive and it might just mean us shoppers

Or, who knows, we might end up getting

Look, now we're back on air, it s always great to hear from you if

there's something to think we should be looking into.

You're watching Inside Out for the East of England,

Later on, ?30,000 for the rdmaining family whose shop was attacked.

The Fens of Cambridgeshire are the breadbasket of Brit`in.

But, if you carry on along this river,

the centre for some of the world's most cutting,edge

What happens there affects all of us, doesn't it?

to the microchips in our mobile phones.

So will life outside the EU burst the bubble?

The high-tech industry in C`mbridge generates millions of pounds

in business and employs of thousands of people.

Before the referendum, some scientists expressed concern

that leaving Europe could ldad to a cut in valuable grants

and also lead to restrictions on the movement of staff.

Here in Cambridge, nearly three quarters of those

So have the fears of those who wanted to stay been realised?

Astex Pharmaceuticals are world leaders in using cutting-edge

technology to develop new w`ys to fight cancer.

The company was set up by a former graduate of Cambridge University.

Harren Jhoti also represents pharmaceutical companies nationally.

If you want to gauge the mood of the industry he's

I'd not being truthful if I said that there is no worry.

But, of course, scientists `re very entrepreneurial and very crdative,

so we are continuing to look for the best route forward

Have you seen any tangible dvidence of detrimental affects,

of people coming to work here, to work for your company?

Yes, we've had quite an immddiate impact following the Brexit vote -

a world-leading scientist we were trying to hire

from a pharmaceutical company based in San Francisco.

We had interviewed the person, he was a German national

who was keen to come and work here, but he did say that if therd

was a Brexit vote, to leave, he would have to reconsider.

The following couple of days afterwards, he informed us that

he's not going to come, fundamentally because he felt

that it was just too uncert`in and environment for him

You must remember, these people have many choices,

they have many offers from ` lot of companies around the world.

So I suspect that he just fdlt it was a risk he didn't need to take.

But it's not just a case of attracting talented

Many scientists are worried that leaving Europe could remove

Such money has real practic`l implications for people likd

nine-year-old Felix, who suffers from Type 1 diabetes.

Any major problems or issues over the last couple of months?

No, it's all been pretty st`ble and flat and OK.

Felix, so what's it like for you as a nine-year,old

It's really difficult, because sometimes I can't do

what other children my age are doing.

The condition causes the pancreas to stop producing sufficient insulin

For many, treatment involves regular insulin injections.

This is a real challenge, particularly for young children

But now researchers here at Addenbrookes Hospital

have come up with what they believe is a solution.

And we can exclusively reve`l that they've been given

the first major award from the EU since Britain voted to leavd.

1.6 million euros has been given to the Cambridge Metabolic Research

laboratory to fund ground-breaking work on developing

So the sensor is attached to the body, it reads glucose

values, the information is sent to the mobile phone,

which calculates how much insulin should be given,

and automatically will tell the insulin pumps how

If the glucose is too high, it will give more insulin.

If it is too low, it will stop giving insulin.

How important was it to get European funding for this?

It was essential to move the research to be used

We've done studies in older children and adults,

but we didn't have the fundhng or the support to move it into this

category of smaller children, where this research

You got this funding post the Brexit result -

I was beyond surprised for a number of reasons.

Also, post-Brexit, I thought our chances would be lower.

If people want to invest in the science you're working on,

than they would surely give you those grants?

One of the good things about European funding is that it

provides funding for collaboration with multiple European partners

There is not so much funding that allows you to do so.

Clinical trials, where we c`n do studies, we can test against humans,

is really essential so we can generalise.

That funding might be difficult to find now.

What kind of difference would this make to your lifd,

It would make such a differdnce because I've heard there were

It's in study at the moment, and I really, really want one.

To have stable blood sugars overnight would make

such a difference, and mean that he could go off off

and play with friends, go to grandparents, other rdlations

For now, European funding is still available,

Right now, Cambridge businesses are already looking elsewhere.

Cambridge has a number of high-tech business parks

Owned by the University of Cambridge, it's become a magnet

for cutting-edge research and technology companies.

Claire Ruskin heads the Cambridge Network -

it's an organisation which promotes the majority of technology

Businesses can't stop and worry about this too much.

They'll have to adapt and change, they have to move quite quickly

They have to get the best pdople in from around the world.

Those might be from Europe, they might be local,

And if we can't reassure those people they can stay

in the businesses they are hn, then we will have a problem.

We're still very confident in Cambridge.

Cambridge is a world-class source of products and services.

We need to reassure the people who work here, in all areas -

health care, education, sochal services, as well as the world class

technology companies, that we are open for business

One of the successes of the Cambridge Network has been

Today, he's visiting a number of small high-tech

If he likes what he sees, his venture capital company

could invest millions to help them grow.

Can you see this being a positive thing, coming out of Europe?

To be perfectly honest, I won't see it as a positivd,

but I won't see it as a negative at all because,

from our perspective, we haven't seen any influence yet.

Because we are a venture capitalist fund - the most important thing

for our investment is looking to the technology itself.

But technology has nothing to do with Europe and this kind of stuff.

So as long as it is good technology, we will always invest.

So do you think that as long as Cambridge continues

to have the reputation, continues to have the peopld

of excellence working here, it will attract internation`l

Yes, I can see the trend - more and more operators,

I see my peers and myself and my friends coming

What kind of money are we t`lking about here, in the millions?

Millions yes, actually we are increasing that.

It will be tens of millions from next year.

You will be investing tens of millions of pounds,

just your venture capitalist firm, in Cambridge?

That's incredible, that's a real commitment,

and showing confidence in what Cambridge has to offer.

So at least one investor is very optimistic about the future,

but businesses here aren't being complacent

and, in the true Cambridge spirit, they're innovating and adapting

More than 3,000 hate crimes were reported in England,

Wales and Northern Ireland during the last two weeks of June,

That's 40% higher than the same time last year.

But, since the vote, there's also been lots of stpport

for people from other countries living here.

As one Romanian family in Norwich found

It is 6am, July 8th, 15 days after the Brexit vote.

The owner of a shop in Norwhch is woken by a phone

I couldn't really understand everything.

She was come here, there is something going on and then

she was calling again, she was like I'm shocked,

Our soul, our money, everything inside this shop.

I can't believe that someond did this, because it was on purpose

A week later, I meet Andreaa at the shop.

So basically here is where everything happened

The police believe it was a deliberate act

It was some petrol, he just pour everything through the door and

He threw the match and then he run out.

And then in, say, two or three seconds, the fire went boom.

The moment when he put the latch in front of his face,

The attack came just hours after an anti-Brexit rally was held

in Norwich and although there's no proof that this was a racist attack,

local people immediately responded with an outpouring of support.

So I've been reading some of the messages that some

of the people of Norwich have come here to write on the shop

window that's boarded up because of the attack.

Very simple, this one, All welcome in Norwich.

Just a few hours it took for these messages to be pinned up and more

because we wanted to actually see what the response had been.

Which messages are your favourite?

Although it wasn't us or thd people who wrote that, that did it,

it's still you feel somewhat responsible because you livd

in the same city as people who may be racist.

But, yeah, to apologise on their behalf I think

And Andreaa has been bowled over by the support.

I love you, and there at thd door, we love you Andreaa,

don't make good people, behaviour does, that's so true.

It's enough to make Andreaa and her mother decide to st`y.

At the beginning we said, maybe we'll just close

the shop and that's it, if people don't want us herd.

Or I don't know, the guy that did it I guess

But then we saw all this help, we changed our mind,

we said, we'll have to stay here, people love us here,

we'll stay here, we'll fix everything and we'll open the shop.

Opening the shop is going to take some work, though.

Over 20 volunteers turned up to help clear the rubbish.

They brought everything that we needed, they brought

cars to put the rubbish, you can see here we had

The shop has no insurance but there's more help at hand.

Down the road, shopkeeper Hdlen Lineham is so shocked, she sets

up a Just Giving page to raise some money to get

But in just six days, it has well exceeded that.

It's very different from the target, isn't it?

And so is this just a coupld of really rich people giving

I mean, we have, look we can see here people have donated ?5, ?1 ,

Helen's actions have encountered some criticism too.

I had a response to say, there's no way this would h`ppen

if it was a British shop, it would have just been brushed over,

but I beg to differ because I would like to think that

if it had happened to my shop then the street would rally round.

First I want to say a big thank you to Miss Helen.

And with the money we'll usd them to repair the shop,

we have to replace the floor, we have to repaint, we need

a new window, as you can sed, and the rest of the money

we want to donate here in Norwich, because we want to give

something back to the city, because they helped us,

Work to get the shop back in business gathers pace ovdr

the next few weeks - the window is repaired, the door fixed

Thanks to the community, just five weeks after the attack,

Today, all customers are given free cake as a thank you.

The man who set the shop on fire hasn't yet been caught but this

experience has taught Andre`a to be optimistic,

The only thing I can say is that everything you do in life

comes back, even if it's good or bad, it comes back.

That's it for this week. We will be on don't until -- on until the end

of October. Next week, plastic is poisoning our oceans. How b`d is it?

Or I will be looking at exclusive research. Goodbye. Also next week,

can doing up houses help stop prisoners reoffending? People will

say, available at never changes his spots. Well, he does. And wd take a

peek at Princess Diana's Norfolk birthplace and its new life as a

hotel for people with disabhlities. That's next Monday.

Hello, I'm Riz Lateef, with your 90-second update.