NFU Cymru and the British Meat Processing Association have voiced their concerns over Brexit’s potential impact on the red meat sector in Wales.
Outlining the importance of the Welsh food sector to the economy, NFU Cymru and BMPA state that Brexit ‘is the single biggest challenge facing the red meat sector within Wales’.
The two organisations have sent a joint letter to Welsh Assembly Members, calling for Government to carry out an impact assessment on the long term impact of the proposed withdrawal of support payments for the active food-producing family farm.
They also call for an assessment of the knock-on effects to the processing sector and rural communities.
As part of the letter to Welsh AMs, the two organisations have drawn together a shared set of agreed policy principles that they say is “essential to safeguarding the red meat sector in Wales.”
• EU Trade -The organisations say it is “essential” that the UK maintains a free and frictionless trading relationship with the EU with no tariffs or non-tariff barriers.
• Non EU Trade - Both groups say there are opportunities for the red meat sector beyond the EU, most notably a growing demand for protein from Asia. However, they say that any future trade deals need to be “handled carefully” which takes into account the implication on domestic food production.
• Labour – The red meat processing sector is “wholly reliant” on EU labour and whilst committed to recruiting domestically, with over 60% employment from the EU. A failure to devise a system that allows the industry access to labour will have a “serious impact” on domestic production levels.
• Domestic Agricultural Policy – The organisations say Brexit provides an opportunity to develop a new agricultural policy that enables the development of a profitable red meat industry. However, they remain concerned about the “lack of focus on production” in the current policy proposals and the “omission of stability measures that underpin Wales’ productive capacity“.
The letter states: “The industry is presently facing huge uncertainty and as such we would urge Government to pause and carry out a thorough impact assessment on the long term impact of the withdrawal of support payments for the active food producing family farm and the knock-on effects to the processing sector and the rural communities that rely so heavily on this production base.
“We need to be absolutely clear that without an agricultural policy that has production at its heart and enables farmers to continue to provide the highest quality livestock, the very future and viability of our farming and processing sectors and the people that rely on it are in doubt.”
