Welsh farmers fear Brexit could leave them high and dry
WELSH farmers face a “perfect storm” if the UK has a “hard Brexit” but strikes a free trade deal with New Zealand, a leading union has warned.
The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) fears its members will face barriers to trading in Europe, while the link-up with New Zealand could see Welsh lamb priced off the shelves.
It warns that gaining “4.5 million consumers on the other side of the planet” will not “make up for the loss of a 500 million consumer market on our doorstep”.
Glyn Roberts, president of the FUW, said: “The livestock producers which make up the vast majority of Welsh farmers are particularly reliant on exports to the continent, and we have made it clear since the referendum that full and unfettered access is essential to Wales.”
He said around 30% of Welsh lambs are exported to European destinations and fears that other sectors could also face “acute threats”.
“Certain cuts of meat are preferred in the UK, while others are preferred on the continent, so in order to make up the value of a carcass it is essential that current markets are kept open,” he said.
Mr Roberts played down the benefits of a deal with New Zealand, saying: “New Zealand has a population of around 4.5 million, which is about 1% of the size of the EU, and is 11,500 miles away. A free trade deal may be a great opportunity for New Zealand, but the benefits for the UK as a whole are zero, and for agriculture are extremely negative.”
However, Conservative AM Paul Davies told the BBC: “What’s important now is that we get the best possible access to the single market, and I think Theresa May made that absolutely clear in her speech. We have to remain positive because of course the sustainability and future of agriculture depends upon it.“That’s why, in my view, the UK government should prioritise agriculture as a sector when they enter into negotiations with the EU.”
Mr Roberts also warned stressed the need for a common agricultural framework across the UK.
He said: “Devolution should be respected within an overarching UK support framework in the context of making our withdrawal from the European Union, and as such we welcome Theresa May’s commitment to work with the devolved administrations and her recognition that Wales is different to the rest of the UK. With this in mind and irrespective of what trade deals are in place postBrexit, within the UK, Welsh farmers will compete against their counterparts in other devolved regions.
“We therefore need a common framework across the UK which minimises unfair competition and market distortion.”
He would like to see “specific ringfenced funding for agriculture” allocated to Wales “outside the Barnett formula”, which would be administered by the Welsh Government.