'No deal' technical notices offer 'little comfort' to Welsh farmers

Technical notes to help the agricultural sector prepare for a ‘no-deal’ Brexit scenario offer "little comfort" for Welsh farmers, a union has said.

Whilst some elements of the notices were welcomed by the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW), such as a renewed assurance that eligible beneficiaries will continue to receive payments under the terms of the UK government’s funding guarantee, clarification on funding post 2022 is still "outstanding".

It says "worryingly", exporting businesses are urged to find out themselves what the likely changes to customs and excise procedures will be and engage with other elements of the supply chain to ensure planning is taking place at all levels.

In addition, the government has also called on businesses to "consider how they will submit customs and export declarations", suggesting it may be necessary to engage customs brokers, freight forwarders and logistics providers, or acquire the appropriate software – all of which will "come at a cost".

Other recommendations include re-negotiating commercial terms to reflect any changes in tariffs.

FUW President, Glyn Roberts said the technical notes highlight the "mammoth task" at hand and how "unprepared" the government is.

"They keep talking about the unlikely event of a ‘no-deal’ scenario - which is certainly a possibility but still don’t actually offer any contingencies," Mr Roberts said.

The government is set to publish its second batch of technical notices within the coming months.