Westminster beginning to grasp Wales’ unique status

LAST week we celebrated St David’s Day and all that is great about Wales. Up and down the country people took to the streets in traditional costume, participating in parades, and even the Prime Minister said Wales is “home to some of the greatest talent and industry in the world” at a Downing Street reception.

Included in these great industries is, of course, agriculture, which has to be appreciated for its uniqueness. Almost 60,000 people are employed either full or part-time on farms in Wales.

In view of Brexit, the FUW has been busy promoting the unique position of Welsh agriculture and stressed repeatedly that the devolved administrations have to be respected in the process. We welcomed the recognition of the devolved administrations’ role in planning for our departure from the EU when Mrs May outlined her 12-point Brexit plan and her recognition that Wales is different to the rest of the UK. It was again encouraging to hear her say that the UK Government was “engaging fully with groups and people from across Wales, including the Welsh Government” to form its Brexit negotiation position.

Of course, there are still questions to be asked and we are all waiting to see what a future Defra green paper on the future of farming will look like – and we could be waiting a while for that clarity. However, that is not a bad thing because the industry will need to have a transition period of at least 10 years to phase in changes and to allow us to adjust to new agricultural policies.

We recognise the need to create and work within a UK framework that enables and constrains the UK administrations in a way that creates a healthy yet stable home market, especially as around 60% of Welsh lamb is consumed in the UK, making it an important market for our produce.

The UK Government needs to fully understand that the complex political principles at stake here can only be resolved through cooperation and collaboration between all four UK nations. We are keen to see how that relationship develops but are hopeful of a positive outcome, given the backing of the First Minister and the positive discussions the union has had with UK ministers, including Andrea Leadsom, since the referendum result last year.

It seems that the UK Government is starting to realise that Wales is not the same as England in terms of need, product and the social importance of agriculture – and that for the industry to have a prosperous future once we leave the EU and to explore the opportunities out there, we must work together for a common goal.