With the debate over whether we should be in or out of Europe hotting up ahead of a planned referendum, NFU Cymru has published a report to consider the UK farming industry’s current relationship with the European Union.
NFU Cymru’s ‘EU Referendum – UK Farming’s Relationship with the EU’ report was launched at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair.
Stephen James, NFU Cymru President, officially launched the report at 3pm yesterday. He said, “We know that a referendum will take place sometime between now and the end of 2017 on the basis of a renegotiated membership package, but beyond that we know nothing of when the referendum will take place. As a Union and as individual farmers we must use the time that we have between now and the referendum to properly inform ourselves of exactly what is at stake when we cast our votes.”
“In publishing this comprehensive 24-page booklet NFU Cymru hopes it will allow its members to gain a better understanding of the industry’s current relationship with the EU and to properly consider some of the pros and cons of remaining a Member State.”
Mr James continued, “We have not taken an ‘in’ or ‘out’ stance at this early stage of the debate, with re-negotiation yet to run its course. When a clearer picture emerges of what any renegotiated terms of our EU membership might look like, then this could change. There are many important questions that we simply don’t know the answer to, including crucially the nature of our relationship with the EU if we were to withdraw and what level of support might be available to Wales’ farmers.”
Wales, as part of the UK, has been in the European Union since 1973 and an ongoing membership was endorsed in a referendum two years later in 1975 when 67% voted in favour of remaining in. Forty years on and a lot has changed, the European Union has gone from having nine Member States to 28 and from a population of 250 million to 500 million.
