NFU officeholders have met with Welsh Labour MEP Derek Vaughan to discuss reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy and sheep electronic identification.
Meeting at the Cwmblacks Farm near Merthyr Tydfil, NFU Glamorgan chairman Andrew Edwards said farmers will have to adjust to changes to their single farm payment.
"The move away from a historic based payment system to an area based payment system will represent a very significant change. It is crucial that this change is managed as sensitively as possible in order to keep re-distribution of payments to a minimum."
"A long transition period is needed as we move away from the historic system so that farmers are able to adapt their farming systems to the new structure."
The UK government is seeking to move an additional 20 per cent of funds from Pillar 1, direct with support to farmers into Pillar 2, rural development activities - something which would come on top of modulation, which already moves 10 per cent of Pillar 1 funds into Pillar 2.
The transfer of funds have attracted criticism by the NFU who call on the government to focus on ensuring the UK gets a fairer share of Pillar 2 funding.
"We have a long road ahead of us in terms of persuading the Commission and others to accept the necessary changes in the draft legislation, and even then it is clear there will be many winners and losers under a flat rate system, whatever payment system is ultimately adopted" said FUW President Emyr Jones following a meeting with agricultural deputy minister Alun Davies.
Sheep EID also came up for discussion with the Wigley family who own Cwmblacks Farm and who emphasised the fact that the technology which underpins EID remains far from 100 per cent reliable, 100 per cent of the time in practical, on-farm operations.
The location, Cwmblacks Farm, is an upland farm by Pat and Donald Wigley and is stocked with south Wales mountain ewes and Welsh Black suckler cows.
