2019: A giant leap into the unknown
Farm leaders flag up Brexit hopes and fears in New Year messages
● FUW president Glyn Roberts LIKE others, farmers are becoming tired of hearing about Brexit, while also becoming increasingly worried as we watch the clock tick down to March 29.
Watching the political shenanigans has increased my concerns that the worst case scenario of a no-deal Brexit could happen almost by accident.
All but the most reckless MPs recognise the disaster that would follow – not least for those who will be lambing over the coming months whose prices will be slashed if we lose access to the EU market.
Whatever your view on Brexit, no one would deny that the preparations represent a monumental amount of extra work for Government.
While the Welsh Government does not share the breadth of responsibilities as Defra, the workload is still significant.
Given this, the logic of avoiding unnecessary work seems self evident. Yet, in relation to agri policy, quite the opposite has happened, with proposed changes to farm support adding not only to existing workloads for civil servants, but also uncertainty and worry for farmers.
Such proposals demand additional political scrutiny by committees in Cardiff Bay and Westminster – committees that should really be focussed on scrutinising Brexit, rather than mulling over radical proposals.
Legislation which is poorly scrutinised makes for bad law.
It’s not just governments that have been under strain: the union staff has had to ride an extra wave of effort to deal with the issues created by Brexit.
There are more governmentdriven “stakeholder” group meetings now that I can ever recall.
Our county offices truly embraced the challenge of briefing AMs and MPs, while the Welsh Government’s Brexit consultation gained responses from over 2,000 members.
It’s been a tough year, but hopefully, the tough times will not last much longer. ● NFU Cymru president John Davies AS I write, Welsh farming is staring into the abyss of a nodeal Brexit that would see our food and drink industries locked out of our largest and closest export market.
I urge all factions to come together to secure this continued free and frictionless trade.
All other options that avoid a catastrophic no-deal scenario must be considered. It will be a dereliction of duty by our politicians if they simply allow the clock to run down to a no-deal Brexit.
During 2018 farmers in their thousands made their views known on proposals for postBrexit agri policy in Wales.
For nearly half a century the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has provided farmers with the stability needed to supply safe, high quality, traceable and affordable food.
The CAP currently supports a an industry that employs over 50,000 people on farms and has a gross output of nearly £1.6bn.
It seems to me that Welsh Government, in its criticism of the CAP, forgets its importance in underpinning the regular and affordable supply of food to consumers.
I believe Welsh Government has overlooked how prone food supply chains are to political instability, protectionism, trade bans and weather extremes across the globe.
No farmer would say the CAP is perfect; we all accept the need for further change. But a future policy must have food production at its core.
2019 will see the Welsh Government come forward with more detailed policy proposals.
I sincerely hope it has listened to the concerns of rural Wales. ● HCC chair Kevin Roberts NEVER has a year brought such uncertainty: the Welsh red meat industry, which earns £200m a year in export income, is one of the sectors with most to lose.
WTO tariffs, likely to be levied in the absence of a deal, are 5%-10% on many types of goods, but on fresh red meat they range from 40%-80%.
Farmgate prices are projected to fall 30% or more if there’s a chaotic Brexit.
This at a time when the future is fundamentally bright for our industry. We have top-quality produce, recognised brands, dedicated producers and high standards of quality and welfare. HCC is working with government and others to put contingency plans in place as far as we can. However the range of potential outcomes is so great that the complexity involved is immense. ■ James Gray, chair of the Tenant Farmers Association SINCE the EU referendum in 2016 it feels like we have been merely marking time.
Although the Prime Minister has now postponed the meaningful vote until the second week of January, whatever the outcome we need to press on to plan for the future.
The TFA will be playing its part, partnering with Farming Connect in Wales to put on tenant farmer forums in January.
Many tenant farmers without successors may wish to take advantage of the Government’s BPS lump sum payments in the transition to the new schemes.
Equally, there will be plenty of new entrants and progressive farmers who will be looking to take advantage of the land that will become available through the restructuring that will occur. ■ Andrew RT Davies, Welsh Tories rural affairs minister WELSH farmers who toil 365 days a year must be listened to at both ends of the M4.
Regrettably, the Welsh Government’s post-Brexit plans for farming have been besieged by controversy and criticism: the Cabinet Secretary seems intent on pursuing a path which has little or no support from farmers.
It’s imperative she rectifies this error in 2019 and strengthens the “active farmer” status to ensure funding supports farmers and not large multi-national corporations looking for a cheeky government handout.
The next 12 months will also undoubtedly see an even greater emphasis on the green economy and it is vital Wales is at the forefront.
A failure to take a lead on the green economy will result in missed opportunities for farmers and the rural economy in Wales.