FARMERS' unions met Prime Minister Theresa May at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair today to put thier views on her Brexit deal.
FUW president Glyn Roberts said: “I made it clear to Mrs May we really need assurances from the UK Government about their commitment to using that time to work out a deal which is positive for Welsh and UK agriculture.”
Mr Roberts said statements by UK Government ministers and politicians about trade deals which would open up the UK to imports of cheap food produced to far lower standards than those required in the UK were a cause for significant concern.
“An additional 21 months of stability would be welcome, but we also need a commitment that after that period we will not open the floodgates to lower quality imports and that maintaining access to the EU market where most of our exports go will be a priority."
NFU Cymru president John Davies said: “During this positive meeting, I commended the fact that the deal she has agreed is as close as possible to the free and frictionless trade conditions for agricultural and food products that we have been lobbying for over the past couple of years.
“I was also keen to point out that the Royal Welsh Winter Fair is a showcase for some of the best livestock you will see anywhere in the world, and that this event is a symbol of the ambition that exists among Welsh farmers to drive this industry forward in the years to come.”

Earlier the Prime Minister had promised Welsh farmers her EU deal would deliver for them.

During her visit to the Royal Welsh Winter Fair in Llanelwedd today, Theresa May was continuing her efforts to win support for the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

No 10 said the deal would protect food exports such as Welsh lamb and Caerphilly cheese.

The deal has been approved by leaders of the remaining EU states, but needs to be ratified by MPs.

Mrs May was to speak to farmers and producers at the fair before meeting with Welsh politicians.

"This deal delivers for farmers in Wales, who deserve better than the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)," Mrs May said.

"After we leave the CAP, we will be free to design a new policy that works for agricultural producers in all four nations and we are taking that work forward."

But one of Plaid Cymru's deputy leaders, Rhun ap Iorwerth said: "We don't think a day trip to Wales cuts it, from Plaid Cymru's point of view.

"We've had too many examples, throughout the whole process, of Wales being sidelined.

"She pays us a visit and expects to sell a deal that she has paid too scant attention to Wales' opinions on - we're not buying any of it."