[caption id="attachment_7198" align="alignleft" width="1024"]
Eleri Davies, Stephen Crabb MP, FUW Deputy President Brian Thomas and Rob Davies[/caption]
Pembrokeshire Farmers’ Union of Wales members Rob and Eleri Davies, who farm just outside of St Davids, held a successful meeting with local MP Stephen Crabb, to discuss #FarmingMatters.
The meeting was attended by FUW officials and members and held on Friday, October 28, at the couple's organic farm, Treginnis Uchaf, St Davids.
Rob and Eleri Davies run a flock of 850 ewes, as well as keeping 6 cattle. In addition they farm 22 acres of barley and oats, and 15 – 20 acres of forage roots for winter grazing.
The couple have been tenants on the 385 acre National Trust farm, which comprises 250 clean acres with the remainder being gorse, coastal slope and rock, since 1983.
During the visit, Mr Crabb heard how the extensive nature of the land at Treginnis had made it suitable for entry into the ESA then Tir Gofal and ultimately Glastir schemes.
FUW Deputy President Brian Thomas said after the farm visit: “It is always nice to see how enthusiastic and determined farmers in Wales are to make their business work and in Rob and Eleri’s case, the effort they make in educating children about where their food comes from, through the ‘Farms for City Children’ scheme that is being run on the farm.
[caption id="attachment_7199" align="alignright" width="300"]
FUW Pembrokeshire farmers hold successful meeting with local MP Stephen Crabb[/caption]
“The NVZ consultation and the fact that 1800 farms in Pembrokeshire would be affected if plans go ahead to designate the Milford Haven and Cleddau catchment areas was also raised and that this could have serious financial implications for farmers.
“However, the main point we stressed with Mr Crabb, was the need to secure favourable trade deals for the UK in light of our decision to leave the European Union. It’s a fact that agricultural trade is heavily dependent on the EU and although the balance of trade is in favour of the EU, because we produce less than we consume domestically, our exports to the EU are still significant.
“This is especially the case for Welsh agricultural sectors such as lamb, where EU exports are critical to carcase balance and add value to the industry.
“Losing these markets, through the introduction of tariffs or non-tariff barriers would have a potentially massive impact on our industry. That leaves us in a very vulnerable position and the dangers of not having an export market is something we have to take seriously.
[caption id="attachment_7200" align="alignleft" width="300"]
FUW delegates and Stephen Crabb MP enjoy a walk around the farm at Treginnis[/caption]
“Furthermore, we stressed the point that our Bovine TB levels here in Wales are well above what would be considered acceptable in any new trade agreement. We need to be below 0.1% of bTB breakdowns to be classed as bTB free and currently this area is 140 times over that threshold. That, as we have stressed many times, could put us in a very difficult position when it comes to negotiating trade deals.”
Mr Crabb further heard how many farmers would not be able to survive just on the money they get paid for their produce and that diversification now is an essential aspect to consider in any farm business. Rob and Eleri Davies said they were fortunate because a small caravan site was already established before the family moved to Tregennis and they have continued to diversify.
Eleri ran a B&B when the children were small and in 2000 they converted an outbuilding into a successful holiday cottage with the help from the National Trust, their landlords.
Speaking about the diversification, Rob Davies said: “Income streams from diversifications are crucial for when farming itself is not so profitable. This helps to consolidate the business and helps maintain the family farm structure which is the backbone of farming in Wales.”
Since 1989 Lower Treginnis has been leased from the National Trust to ‘Farms for City Children’, a project where junior children come for a week at a time to work and stay on the farm, which also offers additional income for the business.
However, Rob Davies has concerns, especially because the UK has voted to leave the European Union: “Potentially the biggest problem we might face could be a hard Brexit. Paying WTO tariffs on our exports would halve the price of our lambs, which would be catastrophic.
“We well remember what happened when we couldn’t export during the 2001 and 2007 Foot and Mouth disease outbreaks – our prices collapsed due to the inability to export and over-supply.
“In addition, bovine TB is also a major concern because other countries could refuse to take our produce as a result of current disease levels.”
Speaking after the visit, Stephen Crabb MP said: “This was an important opportunity to hear first-hand the hopes and concerns of Pembrokeshire farmers about Brexit. There is no disguising the fact that agriculture will be one of the most difficult sectors to get agreement on when it comes to negotiating our new relationship with the EU. There is a lot of work to do for all MPs who represent farming constituencies to make sure a good deal is struck. Listening to our local farmers will be essential in the weeks and months ahead.”