The FUW, whilst welcoming the deal reached with the EU to ease friction at the GB-NI border, is demanding that this should pave the way for further agreements with the EU that would benefit businesses in the rest of Great Britain - including farmers.
The Windsor Framework, agreed in principle by the UK and EU, will significantly reduce barriers for goods entering Northern Ireland which are not destined for the Republic of Ireland or other parts of the EU. This will be achieved through the introduction of ‘green lanes’ for such products.
This deal is good for Northern Ireland and those exporting to Northern Ireland from Great Britain. The fact that the deal also reduces the risk of a trade war with the EU that would have been devastating for agriculture is also very welcome.
However the benefits for Welsh farmers are negligible on the whole - notwithstanding some relatively niche exporters to Northern Ireland, for which this is good news.
The population of Northern Ireland is 1.9 million, compared with an EU population of 447 million, and the barriers to our trade with the EU will remain the same if the Government secures this new agreement.
As such, while the FUW very much welcomes and commends the progress made by the Prime Minister and the EU with this return by the UK to diplomatic norms and working with its neighbours, the FUW believes this deal needs to pave the way to further agreements that remove barriers for our exports as Welsh farmers to the EU.
The EU is the UK’s largest trading partner with UK exports to the EU worth £267 billion in 2021. However, trade between the UK and EU has been extremely volatile since the UK left the single market, while the UK's trade deficit with the EU has recently hit the highest level since records began in 1997 due to a rise in imports from the EU.
The paperwork that existed for trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been removed by the Windsor Framework but the very same paperwork continues to add costs and complexity to UK trade with the EU.
Whilst the FUW is fully supportive of the Windsor Framework, the same pragmatic approach to the rest of UK trade with the EU is needed. This agreement provides a solid foundation for further talks to this end.