Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) chairman, Kevin Roberts has warned that a potentially bright future for Wales’s red meat industry could be put in jeopardy by continuing uncertainty over Brexit.
Speaking at a meeting of the Wye Valley Grassland Society in Builth Wells, Roberts said that farmers would bear the brunt of a ‘No-deal’ Brexit, which is likely to see tariffs of between 40 and 80% imposed on exports of PGI Welsh Lamb and PGI Welsh Beef to Europe.
Roberts referred to the potential impact on Welsh farming of various Brexit scenarios which were under discussion at present.
He painted an optimistic picture of the future under any solution which allowed free trade to continue and gave certainty to the industry. Roberts explained that Welsh meat had an excellent story to tell which chimed with the demands of modern consumers.
However, he insisted that if political deadlock led to a chaotic exit in March 2019 then exports to the EU, which accounted for a third of Welsh Lamb production, would be threatened, leading to a fall in farm-gate prices.
Kevin Roberts said: “In Wales we have lamb and beef which is high in quality and low in its impact on the environment, being largely reared on natural grass. This is just what consumers want and is key to HCC’s plans for developing our industry.
“Our Vision 2025 document lays out plans for enhanced marketing both at home and abroad, as well as working with others to develop meat quality and the industry’s efficiency and competitiveness, through the five-year Red Meat Development Programme and practical collaborative research such as GrasscheckGB.
“This plan can withstand anything except a ‘Hard’ or No-deal Brexit. A chaotic exit on March 29, 2019, risks losing key export markets which have been built up over decades and which all the evidence confirms play a vital role in sustaining prices for farmers.”
