The Caernarfon branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales held its annual general meeting recently, with guest speakers, Bryn Edmunds (Agriculture Director with HSBC Corporate Banking), Wyn Williams (Procurement Manager, Dunbia) and Dr Nick Fenwick (FUW head of policy) outlining their thoughts on the agricultural industry post-Brexit.
FUW County Chairman Tudur Parry said: “I would like to thank the speakers for their valuable and interesting presentations and everyone who attended the meeting. A special thank you also goes to HSBC bank for their sponsorship towards the night and to the Nanhoron Hotel, Nefyn for the refreshments which were provided after the discussion.”
Bryn Edmunds told members that confidence within parts of the industry continues to grow, especially within the dairy sector where significant investments continue to be made. He added that good land still has a high value, but that the gap between the prices of good and poor land is widening. This situation, he believed, was without doubt influenced by Brexit.
Members then heard from Wyn Williams, who explained that Dunbia had experienced a very good year and had processed more than 100,000 lambs more than by the same time last year, and that this trend was likely to continue provided exchange rates continued to be beneficial and access to the Single Market was maintained. He further explained how Dunbia establish contracts with their customers and the problems sometimes associated with this.
Mr Williams further highlighted the competition posed by other countries that had increased their flock sizes quickly. For example, Bulgaria had increased their flock size by over 15%, leading to significant competition in key export markets. He noted that uncertainty around Brexit was causing a great deal of concern to Dunbia, and there was concern that discussion and communication between the Welsh Government and Westminster could be improved.
FUW Head of Policy Dr Nick Fenwick explained that a huge part of the policy and presidential team's time is now spent on Brexit, whether in meetings or preparing evidence for politicians and committees. He referred to the high tariffs which would be levied on agricultural exports to the EU if the UK Government were unable to secure a trade deal before April 2019. He also highlighted the potential threat of more rules and restrictions for farmers after we leave the EU, and that it may not be possible to insist on food imports from other countries to be produced to equivalent standards. He urged members to highlight concerns over Brexit and lobby their local politicians in order for them to understand the industry’s concerns.