Farmers’ Union of Wales President Glyn Roberts has called on the newly elected UK Government to adopt a fresh start to Brexit by working with UK and EU politicians to secure a softer Brexit.

Speaking at the Union’s Annual General meeting in Gogerddan alongside Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary Lesley Griffiths on Monday (June 19), Mr Roberts also highlighted the industry’s anger with the previous UK Government for having adopted a ‘hard Brexit’, policies which stood in stark contrast to those advocated by the FUW and others.

“Our policies on the Brexit timetable, membership of the common market and the customs union, and the need for a soft Brexit all stand in complete contrast to the aggressive policies adopted by the last UK Government.

“I say ‘policies’, but perhaps they would be better simply described as ‘gambles’. Gambles with our industry. Gambles with our jobs. Gambles with our very future as a nation,” he told FUW members and Welsh Government officials at the meeting in Aberystwyth.

Mr Roberts said that every warning made in his and his predecessors’ speeches over the past five years about the dangers of leaving the EU were now being discussed in the mainstream media.

“In an unstable world, stability cannot be achieved through alienating our neighbours, cheap food importation policies which rely on favourable exchange rates, trade deals which do not yet exist, and supply chains which can be turned off like a tap or restricted by tariffs.

“The UK Government must wake up to the dangers of some of the policies now being discussed.”

The decision to trigger Article 50 so soon after the Brexit referendum was singled out as a particularly reckless action.

“On the day that the referendum outcome was announced, we said Article 50 should not be triggered too soon, as it would constrict the time period over which vast volumes of work must be done.

“I make no apologies for highlighting our anger at the fact that those warnings were ignored; on the 29th April this year, the former UK Government threw away a key bargaining tool by formally triggering Article 50, meaning we now have a little more than twenty months to undertake work which would normally take decades to do.”

Mr Roberts said it was essential to grasp every opportunity, and that this would mean politicians and farmers adopting new approaches.

“Our leaders must properly acknowledge the fantastic food, culture, environments and landscapes which are produced by our rural communities, while we as farmers must adopt very different and - dare I say it - more positive attitudes, readying ourselves for what will become a very different world. Business as usual for government and farmers alike is not an option.”

Mr Roberts said that with issues such as bovine TB, quarantine units, NVZs, and Glastir, the FUW would continue to make its views clear, and that these would sometimes be at odds with those of the Welsh Government.

“But those differences must be respected and put to one side, rather than dividing us, when it comes working together to avoid the perils, and grasping the opportunities which are ahead of us,” he added.

[caption id="attachment_8022" align="alignleft" width="300"] Mark and Helen Williams of Pen Y Derw farm are looking forward to their egg adventure[/caption]

The uncertainty for agriculture in Wales, and concerns about future export markets for lamb and beef have led one Montgomeryshire farmer to make sure that he doesn’t put all his eggs in one basket.

Former FUW Montgomeryshire County Chairman Mark Williams, who farms 40 suckler cows and 900 ewes at Pen Y Derw, near Welshpool, with his wife Helen, has decided to diversify into egg production.

The poultry unit, which will be home to 16,000 free range hens, will provide the family with an additional income, as well as offering extra part time employment in the area.

“We have looked at poultry farming for the last 10 years and the uncertainty created by Brexit, bearing in mind that most of our income has been provided by lamb trade and farm support payments, gave us the push we needed to make the decision and get the ball rolling,” said Mark Williams.

“Egg production is mainly a domestic market, so that takes the fear of having to export away. Originally we thought we would be going into broiler chickens but when researching the market a contract was difficult to find. The final thing that made us decide where our 3 boys. We are expanding the business to accommodate them if they wish to take over the farm in the future,” added Mark.

The planning process started in early 2015 and after lots of drawings, surveys and modelling, planning was granted in November 2015.

[caption id="attachment_8023" align="alignright" width="300"] Mark and Helen Williams (centre) with (l-r) Paul Higgins from PS Higgins Electrical, Steve Braithwaite from Newquip, Tom Davies from Lloyds animal feeds and Jason Powell from Powell shed builders.[/caption]

“It was an expensive and reasonably stressful process. Once we had planning permission we finalised the contract, appointed contractors, supplies etc. and the groundwork started in the Summer last year. There is still a fair bit of work to do before the birds arrive in mid June but we are very excited to get it all started,” said Helen Williams.

The eggs produced at Pen Y Derw will soon be sold to L J Fairburns & Son, with the chickens and their feed being supplied by Lloyds animal feeds.

“I would like to thank Lloyds animal feeds for their continued support, Owens Civil Engineering who did the groundworks, Powells shed builders, Connops who laid the floor and were very efficient at what they do and laying so much concrete in such a short time, Newquip who supplied and installed the big Dutchman equipment and Paul Higgins who was in charge of the electrics. It was a real pleasure working with all of them,” added Mark Williams.

Once the birds arrive, the family will have a steep learning curve. Helen Williams said: “We have an awful lot to learn and it’s certainly going to be a challenge. Of course, there are always some concerns such as oversupply, increase in feed costs, the extra workload and how it’s going to fit into an already busy working day, but we are very optimistic about the venture.”

[caption id="attachment_8013" align="alignleft" width="300"] New FUW Montgomeryshire County Chairman Aled Roberts[/caption]

A 10th generation farmer from Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant has taken over the role as county chairman in Montgomeryshire for the Farmers’ Union of Wales.

Aled Huw Roberts, 37, has been working as a farm manager for over 20 years near Wrexham, as well as running his own home farm, Plas Du Llanrhaeadr YM near Oswestry, since 2012.

During the working week Aled runs a 1000 acre beef and sheep farm, which is home to 70 Welsh Black cattle and 1400 Welsh and Texel cross sheep including replacements, before returning to the 160 acre home farm and 50 acres of rented land, in the evenings and weekends. Here he keeps 10 Aberdeen Angus beef and 600 Texel cross ewes, including replacements.

Aled has been the FUW Montgomeryshire County Vice Chairman for over 2 years before being elected as County Chairman at the end of May. In 2013 he was part of the Agri-Academy future leaders project and he studied agriculture at Llysfasi college. In his spare time Aled is also a club leader at Dyffryn Tanat YFC and tries to make the odd appearance for his local rugby club ‘Cobra’.

Speaking about his appointment, Aled said: “I would like to thank our members for electing me to be the next County Chairman and look forward to representing the Farmers’ Union of Wales. My predecessor Mark Williams did a fantastic job as Chairman and I hope I can continue the work he did just as well.

“Agriculture in Wales is facing an uncertain future and much work is to be done to ensure our Welsh farmers get a fair deal - in terms of trade opportunities and support here at home. I feel passionately about agriculture and ensuring that the next generation of farmers face a bright, prosperous future.

“Therefore I will do my utmost to help the Farmers’ Union of Wales in continuing their plight to advance the views of the farmers of Wales without fear or favour, unfettered by sectional or external financial interests and aid them in protecting and advancing the interests of those who derive an income from Welsh agriculture.”

The Farmers’ Union of Wales says the need to negotiate unfettered access to EU markets should not be eclipsed in the fallout from the General Elections, and must return as a key focus for politicians.

FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “We had expected these elections to focus on Brexit and issues such as whether the next UK Government should pursue a hard or soft Brexit, but campaigns quickly became dominated by important domestic issues.

“But all domestic policies will ultimately be influenced or constrained by the outcome of the Brexit process, because our economic future depends on securing positive trading arrangements with the EU.”

Mr Roberts said that whatever turmoil and uncertainty was unleashed by the General Election result, politicians should not lose focus on the need for such a trading arrangement.

“Around two thirds of identifiable Welsh exports go to EU countries, while many major employers base their companies here specifically because we have access to the EU’s 500 million consumers without the costs and hindrance of border controls and World Trade Organisation tariffs.

“As an industry, Welsh agriculture is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of losing access to the affluent mainland European markets which are on our doorstep; a third of Welsh lamb is exported to the continent, and the loss of access to the EU market in 1996, 2001 and 2007 caused catastrophic collapses in farm incomes from which many businesses did not recover.”

Mr Roberts said concerns over the impact of Brexit were a key issue in terms of bringing many younger people to the polls, and that these concerns should be taken on board.

The triggering of Article 50 on March 29 has placed significant constrictions on the time during which vast volumes of work must be done, and Mr Roberts said the outcome of the election places yet more pressures on that timetable.

“Our Manifesto argued for options to be pursued which would allow a smooth transition over a safe timescale, and that is now more critical than ever,” added Mr Roberts.

Mr Roberts further said EU Member States could agree to more time to negotiate beyond the two year Article 50 Brexit period, and that to seek such an agreement made sense given the mountain of work and potential risks which lay ahead.

“We now look to politicians from all political parties to work together constructively in Parliament to secure the best possible outcome of Brexit, and as smooth a transition to that outcome as possible,” he added.