Welsh farmers advised to be prepared for Brexit
Welsh farmers are advised to prepare ahead of Brexit if they want to preserve the GBP 1.6 billion (€1.8 billion) value of the sector.
The Horizon document, ‘Exploring the implications of Brexit for agriculture and horticulture in Wales’, produced by Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) analyses a range of scenarios surrounding trading access, agricultural support payments, and movement of labour.
The sheep sector is the most exposed to a hard-Brexit scenario, according to the document, as 90% of the sheepmeat exports from Wales are delivered to the EU market. More than one-third of PGI Welsh lamb is exported and tariffs or other barriers to trade is among the greatest risks.
Also, the report notes the potential vulnerability of the abattoir and processing sector to restrictions on migrant labour. "The scenarios presented in the report represent the extremes of what we might expect from Brexit – anything from a free trade deal with Europe which allows us to trade exactly as we do now, to full tariffs on all agricultural imports and exports. It’s not easy to plan when we don’t know the final outcome, but knowing their costs and maximising efficiency is something farmers can do straight away which is certain to help.", HCC’s Industry Development and Relations Manager, John Richards, said.
The wait-and-see approach is not a good idea at this time, as AHDB Head of Strategic Insight, David Swales declared.
"For some sectors, Brexit presents a number of opportunities, while other parts of the industry face some potential challenges when we leave the EU.
While we do not know all the details, we would rather farmers and growers start to prepare now based on the information we have at present. this latest Horizon document allows the industry to avoid the wait-and-see approach, which we believe is high risk", he mentioned.
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