The Farmers’ Union of Wales are today calling for a cross government agricultural summit to address the perceived slow progress in developing plans for agriculture as Britain's leave the European Union.

Speaking at the Royal Welsh Show, Europe's largest Agricultural show, the Union President Glyn Roberts said: “Planning Brexit has been going on in a relatively disjointed fashion for many months and while we are certainly pleased with the very good progress that Welsh government meetings have made, there has been slow progress on critical issues due to a lack of engagement between the UK and Welsh governments.”

The FUW sees 3 major phases in the UK’s exit from the European Union: the Article 50 process, which has already started and the constitutional issues that need to be resolved. The second phase of leaving the EU when trade relations will be to the fore and the third being the long term changes that can then be made only once trade relationships are understood.

“We appear to be focusing all our energy on the latter phases, whilst ignoring the critical constitutional arrangements that need to be established by the UK government and all devolved administrations. They need to be working collaboratively to develop a solution,” stressed Glyn Roberts.

The FUW today met with the First Minister of Wales and 2 Secretaries of State from the UK government as well as Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths.

“A cross Government Agricultural summit is absolutely essential in order to progress the vital constitutional issues that need to be addressed before powers are repatriated from Brussels to London.

“Whilst there are arguments for powers to be repatriated and held in London, there are also clear options to return them immediately to the devolved nations, within an agricultural trade framework that will not disrupt trade negotiations in any way,” said Glyn Roberts.

He added saying that: “We are genuinely encouraged by all we are hearing in our bilateral discussions with government ministers. There is an awful lot of common ground between our aspirations and government statements. We now ask that they come together to address the big domestic political issues as soon as possible.”

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has expressed its concern with the slow Brexit planning process and of the apparent lack co-operation between Governments ahead of the Royal Welsh Show.

“From the very day after the referendum we have been making some very important points time and time again to ensure that farmers and by implication the rural economy are not affected by a badly managed Brexit,” said FUW President Glyn Roberts.

The FUW has since the referendum result called for a sensible exit timetable, the creation of a UK wide framework that respects the devolved administrations and tariff-free access to the EU market.

“So today I must declare my disappointment with the way things have been progressing,” said Glyn Roberts.

Mr Roberts added that there is still confusion about the timetable that will be expected and that UK Ministers are just beginning to talk about transition or implementation periods, recognising that this will take time.

“With only 20 months to exit, this is gaining in importance each and every day. There is no sign of any discussions for the creation of a Framework for agriculture and nor does there appear to be any indication of when these discussions will begin.

“The EU withdrawal bill does not have any sunset clauses to ensure that devolved powers get to the devolved Governments in a timely fashion. Whilst we do recognise that EU laws cannot at the moment be repatriated directly to Cardiff and that some “centralisation” may well be needed to develop new trade arrangements, it is vital that we are clear when the UK Government will transfer powers to the devolved governments. And under what limiting controls,” added Glyn Roberts.

Mr Roberts stressed that; “Our elected representatives must, I repeat must work together to develop answers to high level issues before we can progress in planning for Brexit. We need to understand the detail of a UK home market framework, we need to understand the ambition to support the food and farming industries, we need to know what balance will be recognised in the importance of food production in relation to environmental issues and we need to know who will be “in charge” and by when.

“And of greatest importance, we need to know and be reassured that the 2 governments concerned are working together for the common good. The farmers of Wales operate in volatile markets and we need to ensure that everything is done to ensure that we protect them whilst also delivering to the standards we have come to accept as normal, and deliver for our environmental benefits.”

Ends

Michael Gove’s vision for the future of the natural environment has today been met with caution by  The Farmers’ Union of Wales.

Speaking from his farm in North Wales, the Union President Glyn Roberts commented: “We recently met with the Secretary of State where he declared he was in listening mode, and are due to meet again next week. As a result of this announcement today we can now enter into a dialogue about the future.

“I’m pleased to see that Mr Gove is basing his vision on personal empathy with our industry whilst also demanding scientific rigour to be applied to decision making, however, whilst some aspects match our calls to ensure that all plans are based on evidence and the wider impacts are modelled wherever possible, the Union has concerns about the strong focus on environmental schemes, which neglect the need for food production. His vision also does not recognise the role our farmers are already playing in maintaining the countryside.

“For the last 2 years we have been calling for evidence to act as the basis for decision making and for recognition that decisions should not be seen in micro-terms. Changes to farm support for example could have wide ranging impact across rural communities. These impacts need to be understood by decision makers, especially if they want to see the continuation of countryside management and safe food production.”

The Union President further said that, whilst the Secretary of State’s commitment to support farming for the longer term will induce confidence in these uncertain times,  and the Union welcomes the vision of supporting farmers to undertake works that are seen to be of benefit to the public, it has to be argued that this should not be limited to transactional support, for a one off scheme for example, but should be for longer lasting foundational commitments.

“It has to be understood that under World Trade Organisation rules, farmers can only ever be compensated for income foregone, an acknowledgement that is clearly missing in Mr Gove’s speech. Further to that, our environment will need to be protected forever, not just in a one or 3 year programme and our farmers have a crucial role to play in that process. They can however only be a part of that process if their businesses are viable and have not gone under in dramatic and harsh changes to agricultural policies, which favour environmentalist over food production,” added Glyn Roberts.

Making one final point, Glyn Roberts made it clear that whilst this was Michael Gove’s vision, the responsibility for Agriculture and the Environment was a matter devolved to the Welsh Government.

“There remains great uncertainty about the way that powers will be repatriated that need to be resolved in order for any vision to be delivered. It took around six years of detailed modelling to assess the impact of what were, by comparison, relatively minor changes to the current CAP, and this needs to be borne in mind.

It is not only farming families which are at stake here; there are countless other businesses and jobs which rely on agriculture, so we need to be as sure as we can that well meaning policies will not result in devastation.

Whilst the FUW continues to look in detail at future policies, we are also focussing on the need for a realistic Brexit transition period and contingency plans,” said Glyn Roberts.

Are you a business in rural Pembrokeshire? Do you farm in your own right or provide a service to the agricultural sector? Maybe you run a cake making business, electrical or plumbing services, crafts, music teaching or food processing. If so, then the Pembrokeshire branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales wants to hear from you.

The Union branch is once again seeking entries for the Pembrokeshire FUW Countryside Business Award, which will be presented to an individual 40 years of age or under who has developed their own business based in rural Pembrokeshire.

“There are a host of fantastic businesses in rural Pembrokeshire who all do a great job in keeping the wheel of our rural economy turning. With the award we want to recognise the fantastic work our young people are doing to keep the rural areas of Pembrokeshire vibrant and economically active places,” said FUW Pembrokeshire CEO Rebecca Voyle.

To be eligible for the award the individual must be 40 years of age or under on 1 January 2017 and be actively involved in a business based in rural Pembrokeshire. A £200 cash prize, perpetual trophy and a year’s free membership will be awarded to the winner.

“I am really looking forward to receive entries for this award, so if you think your business stands out from the crowd or you know someone who runs a top rural business then get in touch with us to put them forward. But please check with them before sending in the nomination that they are happy for you to do so,” added Rebecca Voyle.

Entry forms are available from the FUW office in Pembrokeshire, so either call on 01437 762 913, or send an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , to request your form. The deadline for entries is Friday 15 September, 2017.