The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has welcomed commitments by Secretary of State Michael Gove to focus on supply chain policies and his acknowledgement of the need for an appropriate balance between devolution and common UK frameworks post Brexit.
Speaking at a National Farmers Union conference in Birmingham, Michael Gove gave a number of commitments to English farmers, while also acknowledging the need for Brexit to be considered in terms of entire supply chains which operate across the UK.
Responding, FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “In light of Brexit, there is an understandable focus on farming, environmental and land use policies, but the FUW has been arguing for entire supply chains to be considered - be it the supply chain for food, carbon, green energy or wildlife.
“Farmers are key links in lengthy supply chains which involve all sorts of industries and deliver a host of public benefits - not least the food which arrives daily on supermarket shelves. We need holistic Government policies which deliver benefits for consumers and fair rewards for farmers, and interventions where there is market failure.”
Mr Roberts said it was therefore welcome that the UK Government has accepted the need to consider entire supply chains, including those which extend across the UK and further afield.
“There has been welcome engagement by UK Governments with farming and environmental bodies over the past eighteen months, but there is concern that government engagement with others along supply chains needs to be stepped up,” he added.
Mr Roberts also welcomed the Secretary of State’s acknowledgement of the need for devolved powers over agriculture to remain firmly in the hands of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - but for there to be a balance between such powers and frameworks which prevent distortions within the UK and wider markets.
“The FUW is an emphatic supporter of devolution, but all mature governments recognise the importance of agreeing frameworks with other nations and countries. The alternative is a free-for-all which distorts markets and leads to inequality between producers which damages relationships and compromises trade.”
Mr Roberts said agreement on such frameworks needed to be reached urgently given the thirteen or so months before the UK left the EU. He therefore welcomed Mr Gove’s assurance that UK Governments were “...working together to ensure there will be UK-wide frameworks on areas of common concern like animal and plant health and no decisions are taken that harm our own internal UK market.”
Responding to the UK Government’s plan to introduce a cap on English farm payments, Mr Roberts said that capping payments had been FUW policy since 2007, and that as a result Welsh payments had been capped under new regulations introduced in 2015.
“However, we have already written to DEFRA minister George Eustice to highlight our concerns that the benefits of capping would be lost if no limit is applied to agri-environmental payments, as large estates and charities would cream off money which would be better spent on family farms,” he added.