BUSINESS owners and leaders have spoken of "uncertainty" for trade in the aftermath of Britain's decision to leave the European Union.

Michelle Hind, president of Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce, said: "Financially we are going to see a decline before we see any benefits.

"The Chamber of Commerce will do all it can to support businesses and we encourage them to bring any issues that they have forward following the results.

"With interest rates increasing, although many are fixed now until 2018, we will have to look elsewhere for funding and we will be digging deep in our pockets to survive. 

"We need to be bold and decisive and look for additional business support from the DCCI who we are affiliated with."

Ian Girling, chief executive of Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), said market stability should be a priority following the referendum.

He added: "Businesses will want to see a measured approach from the government with clear guidance about the timeline for exit from the European Union. 

"As a non-partisan organisation, DCCI will continue to lobby and represent Dorset businesses and its members’ interests at the highest level."

Former South Dorset MP Lord Knight expressed concerns that Britain's vote to leave could hit Britain's workers.

He said: "I know of no case where the EU has done a deal that allows free trade without free movement of labour.

"Given strong views about immigration, it looks like the cost of doing business will rise because we won't have free trade and that could lead to job losses."

Cormac Linehan, owner of The Pet Experience in Weymouth, said: "As a business owner I want a stable economy in which to grow and develop my business and I felt that that was most likely by staying in the EU. 

"I am now concerned about the short and medium term economic stability of both the country as a whole and Dorset."

Alison Weller, chairman of the Weymouth Hoteliers, Guesthouses and Leaseholders Association, said the impact of Brexit on the tourist trade is not yet clear.

She said: "It is not going to make everyone happy, so I just think we have to grasp where we are and hope it will be a positive change.

"There is going to be instability for a while, but we can't judge it by that."

Granby Industrial Estate developer and owner of Link Park Mickey Jones said: "There may be a long term benefit, but I can’t see anything but pain in the short term."

"We are in charge of our own destiny"

Andy Alcock, who is a member of the Weymouth and Portland Licensed Fishermen's and Boatmen's Association, suggested that generally most of the fishermen around Weymouth harbour were happy with the result of the referendum – but some who were concerned.

He said: “It’s whether we can get the government to come round to the fishermen’s way of thinking. We can make our own rules and regulations. We are hoping the fishing minister will talk to us and talk about how we can improve our future.”

Mr Alcock said that hopefully the recreational side of bass fishing would be reinstated.

He said he hoped they could get back to the point where they were able to fish three bass a day.

When asked by the Echo if he thought the Leave result may save the fishing industry along the south coast, Mr Alcock said: “I’d like to think so but only time will tell. It can’t possibly get any worse. We are in charge of our own destiny now.

“We have made the decision, we have to live with the decision and hopefully it’s the right one.”

"Anything could happen", say farmers

FARMERS across Dorset are braced for a period of "huge uncertainty" in the coming months, the National Farmers Union (NFU) says.

The NFU, which represents 48,000 UK farming businesses had backed the Remain campaign. 

Farmers benefit from more than £2 billion a year in subsidies from Europe's Common Agricultural Policy, money which the Leave campaign promised to protect.

NFU Dorset branch chairman Trevor Cligg said: "Nothing is certain in any respect now, anything could happen over the next weeks, months and years."

He said the NFU's focus over the next few months must be to shape a new Common Agricultural Policy in a way that will protect British agriculture and jobs.

As well as exporting large amounts of produce to the EU, Britain's farming industry hires regular seasonal labour from Europe.

Mr Cligg, who runs a 1,000 acre organic dairy farm with 600 cattle, said: "The only thing that is certain now is that there will be uncertainty.

"However, we will be trying our best to influence and shape whatever happens to the best advantage of NFU members."

Dorset farmer James Cossins – who runs a 2,200 acre dairy, beef and arable farm at Tarrant Monkton – said the key now is to work with whoever is in power to "keep a viable agricultural industry going."

He added: "Will food prices go up? This remains uncertain. Now the decision has been made we've got to move forward and try and work together."

Council delegate for Dorset in the NFU, Paul Harris, said it was not all ‘doom and gloom’ and that farmers were good at responding to a challenge.

Mr Harris added that it was important to take time, consider the position and discuss with the government the way forward.

He said: "It’s a whole new world we are living in and we have to adapt to it.”

He said there would have to be some support and direction from the government going forward with regards agriculture to ‘feed the nation and keep the countryside looking like it is.’

NFU president Meurig Raymond said: "The vote to leave the European Union will inevitably lead to a period of uncertainty in a number of areas that are of vital importance to Britain's farmers.

"The NFU will engage fully and constructively with the British government to construct new arrangements.

"Our members will rightly want to know the impact on their businesses as a matter of urgency."