Renewing focus to secure best deal for rural Wales
Today will be Boris Johnson’s first visit to Wales as new Prime Minister. Here, Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns discusses Brexit and issues facing rural Wales ahead of Thursday’s Brecon and Radnorshire by-election
IN these changing times it is more important than ever for us to maintain the strength and diversity of the union of the United Kingdom, for the benefit of all our communities.
That is something the Prime Minister and I are absolutely committed to, and I am grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to continue serving as Secretary of State for Wales.
As I have said many times, for a Welshman the role I have is the best job in the UK Cabinet.
I look forward to the positive working relationship I will hold with Mr Johnson and the rest of my Cabinet colleagues as we seek to form new trade deals outside the EU, strengthen our internal relationships and support our communities.
Today the PM will make his first official visit to Wales – to reinforce the UK Government’s support for the agricultural sector and also to pay tribute to its strength in Wales.
The figures speak for themselves; our income from farming increased by 31% between 2013 and 2017 to £276m.
That’s more than four times the amount of increase compared to the rest of the United Kingdom.
But we cannot let that strength subside as we negotiate our exit from
the European Union.
Indeed, leaving the European Union gives us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape our own new policies and explore new trading prospects, particularly in the field of agriculture.
Of course, it is in everyone’s interests to secure a good deal with the European Union, and that is exactly what we are committed to do.
We recognise the concerns of our stakeholders, which is why we’re determined to renew our focus on negotiating a better deal for our farmers and the whole of the UK.
But the unfortunate fact is that the EU is refusing to make any changes to the withdrawal agreement.
As a result, Mr Johnson and myself will make clear later today that as a responsible government we are stepping up our contingency planning for a no-deal exit on 31 October. We will ensure we are ready.
As always, we are in close contact with farmers and the agri-food industry in Wales, to ensure their concerns are heard, particularly on this is issue and the need to ensure stronger tariff protection for Welsh and British farmers.
But it’s not just a listening exercise, we’re also publishing guidance notes to keep farmers informed about our EU exit preparations.
Our aim is to support farming communities and also to allow us to strike new trade deals so that our great produce can be sampled in more countries around the world.
We will also work closely with the Welsh Government to support them in developing new policies which are suited to the unique agricultural circumstances here in Wales.
We’re not just focussing on farming to boost our rural communities. This week the Prime Minister has also announced the expansion of the UK Government’s growth deals, with a slice of the £300m funding available for the Mid Wales Growth Deal.
City and Growth Deals have become one of the main tools for driving economic activity in the UK in recent years. These are agreements between both governments in Wales as well as local partners to give our regions the powers to take responsibility for decisions that affect their areas.
These deals are locally led, enabling partners to come together to develop innovative proposals with the aim of driving growth, creating jobs and increasing productivity in their region.
By their nature, these deals are unique to the area they come from and it is up to local leaders, in consultation with their partners to identify what will deliver the biggest impact locally.
UK Government funding will be awarded on the basis of the strength and ambition of the proposals put forward.
I hope that this new offer will provide a fresh incentive to ensure the people of mid Wales receive maximum benefit from the offer available.
I am acutely aware that previously, EU structures bypassed central and east Wales, we will put this right and in doing so strengthen our union.