'We are reliant on exports to the continent': Farmers welcome Wales' Brexit plan

First Minister Carwyn Jones stated that the paper “balances the message which the Welsh people gave us”
First Minister Carwyn Jones stated that the paper “balances the message which the Welsh people gave us”

The first minister of Wales and Plaid Cymru's leader have published a plan for Brexit, calling for freedom of movement rules to be linked to whether migrants have a job.

As well as a 'balanced approach' to immigration linking migration to jobs, the joint Welsh Brexit plan calls for continued participation in the single market.

First Minister Carwyn Jones stated that the paper “balances the message which the Welsh people gave us” of the Brexit vote “with the economic reality that makes participation in the single market so important for the future prosperity of Wales, and indeed the UK as a whole”.

Last week, Prime Minister Theresa May said the UK should leave the single market as she outlined her 12 principles for Brexit.

'Reliant on exports'

Farmers Union of Wales (FUW) has said they welcome the stance taken by the Welsh Government.

President Glyn Roberts responded to the plans, saying: “The livestock producers which make up the vast majority of Welsh farmers are particularly reliant on exports to the continent, and the FUW has made it clear since the referendum that full and unfettered access is essential to Wales.

“Around 30 percent of Welsh lambs were exported to continental Europe, and the complexity of pan-EU food supply chains means there are acute threats for other sectors.”

The Brexit white paper also call on the UK Government to make good on promises that Wales would not lose funding as a result of Brexit, as well as calling for recognition that there needs to be a 'fundamentally different' relationship between the devolved governments and the UK government.

Transition period

The FUW has stressed that a transition period of at least 10 years is necessary in order to phase in and allow the industry to adjust to new agricultural policies post-Brexit.

In addition, the Union has argued that agricultural support following the UK's exit from the European Union should be maintained at levels which 'at least' reflect those levels which would have been in place should the UK have voted to remain in the EU.

Furthermore, recognising the different role the Welsh and devolved administrations have to play has been welcomed recently by the FUW.

A third of Wales’ population live in rural areas where farming, and businesses which rely on agriculture, play an important role in local economies; in sparsely populated areas, where centres of population have less than 2,000 people, around 10 per cent of workers are employed in agriculture. That equivalent to 14 per cent of those employed outside the public sector.

Mr Roberts concluded: “The chances of a bad trade deal or no deal at all increase the faster the UK government proceeds, which is why the FUW has consistently called for a lengthy transition period. Otherwise we risk being like lemmings rushing towards a cliff edge.”