i) Proposed lift on USA lamb ban welcome news for industry

The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has welcomed news that the long standing ban on importing Welsh lamb into the United States is to be lifted soon. The announcement was made by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday 22 September.

The FUW has long discussed the prospect of lifting the unjustified ban with the USDA in various meetings over the past decades. Hybu Cig Cymru - Meat Promotion Wales have highlighted that the potential market for PGI Welsh Lamb in the USA is estimated to be worth as much as £20 million a year within five years of the export restrictions being removed.

Now more than ever it is important to explore other export markets while also protecting long established markets in Europe. The news that this ban could soon be lifted is most welcome news for the UK sheep industry.

ii) UK cheese exports up by 17 percent

Latest HMRC figures suggest that UK cheese exports totalled 2,300 tonnes in the first three months of 2021, a 17 percent increase on 2020.

While Brexit has disrupted cheese exports to the EU, exports to New Zealand, Australia and South Korea increased by 26, 3 and over 200 percent respectively during the first quarter.

However, total UK dairy exports were down during the same period compared with 2020 due to high domestic demand from consumers and the shut down of foodservice outlets on the continent.

iii) UK Government plans to support food exports

Announced on Back British Farming Day 2021, the UK Government plans to support businesses who export UK food and drink through a new initiative set to be launched later this year.

The initiative will include appointing agri-food representatives to work towards accessing new export markets, establishing a Food and Drink Exports Council to work on the export strategy alongside the devolved nations and engaging with farmers and producers to ensure that they benefit from new market opportunities.

RPW will be issuing 2021 BPS Advance Payments from 15 October 2021, which will be 70% of your estimated total claim value. Please note that the payment may not be issued if, for example, the necessary supporting documents have not been submitted, there is an ongoing land dispute, significant breaches have been identified during an inspection or there are outstanding probate issues.

The 30% balance payments will be issued from 15 December 2021 subject to claims having been fully validated.

It is also important that if you receive a notification from RPW Online that there is a new message on your account that you log in to your account to check it, as the message could be asking for additional information in relation to your BPS claim, which if not actioned, could delay the release of your payment.

It is particularly noticeable in some areas of the UK that the shortage of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers is having an impact on the food supply chain.

The Haulage and Logistics industry has reported that the shortage of HGV drivers in the UK has increased from 45,000 in 2016 to 76,000 by today.

While there are likely to be a number of different reasons for these shortages, the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and the Brexit immigration system have placed great pressure on haulage and logistical services.

Therefore, following a recent consultation, the UK Government has confirmed that changes will be made to the trailer and HGV testing regimes in order to speed up the process for drivers to qualify.

Currently, those who passed their driving test after 1st January 1997 cannot tow anything where the trailer and towing vehicle is more than 3,500 kg Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM). To tow anything over this threshold, they must pass a car and trailer (B+E) test.

Primary school pupils from all over Wales are being invited to enter a Christmas card design themed around farming for the FUW’s Christmas card competition.

The FUW is asking children aged from 4 to 11 to design a Christmas farming scene for its Christmas cards, which will be sold to raise money for the Union’s charity, The DPJ Foundation.

The competition will be split into Welsh language and English language categories. Children can use any media in their entries, such as crayons, coloured pencils, felt tipped pens or paint which must be completed on an A4 sheet of paper and emailed in jpeg format.

The only stipulation is that it must be a Christmas card showing a farming scene.

The winner of each category will receive a £30 gift voucher for themselves, a packet of the Christmas cards depicting their design, one day’s free admittance to the 2021 Royal Welsh Winter Fair to receive their prizes and a £50 cheque for their school.

The closing date for entries is Friday 29th October 2021.

The pupil’s name, age, class number, school name and home address must be included on all entries, which should be e-mailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.