NFU CYMRU president John Davies has written to the new Prime Minister Boris Johnson to underline the ‘serious threat’ a ‘No deal’ Brexit could pose to the Welsh farming sector.

With the new occupant of 10 Downing Street being appointed last Wednesday, the third day of the Royal Welsh Show, Mr Davies said he will write to the new PM to outline how vital the EU export market is to the Welsh agricultural industry, impress that animal welfare and environmental standards should be recognised and valued, as well as ensuring Welsh agriculture does not lose out on a penny of funding as a result of Brexit.

Mr Davies stressed: “This is a pivotal and critical time for the food and farming sector – the industry most affected by the decision to leave the European Union.

"We face the challenge of breaking away from almost half-a-century of participation in the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, alongside the opportunity of designing and implementing a bespoke policy for Welsh farming.

“It also means founding completely new trading relationships with the EU27 and the rest of the world.

“The EU27 is our nearest and most valuable export market, a market that we currently enjoy frictionless, tariff free access to the 500 million or so consumers on our doorstep.

"Welsh agriculture is particularly exposed to the effects of leaving the EU without a deal.

"Around 72 per cent of Welsh food and drink exports are destined for EU countries, and in the case of our iconic PGI Welsh Lamb, the figure is even higher, with 95 per cent of what we export going to the EU.

"If we were to leave without a deal, then we know that the high tariffs on our exports into this market would mean that we would simply be unable to compete."

Mr Davies added: “At the same time we know, following the publication of the UK Government’s ‘No-deal’ tariff schedules back in the spring, that most agricultural products would enter the UK from the EU and the rest of the world with zero or reduced tariffs.

"A ‘No-deal’ Brexit would therefore mean the double blow of not only being priced out of our principal export markets, but also having agri-food products coming into the UK from third countries and outcompeting domestic producers.”

On the subject of standards, Mr Davies explained: “We must not allow our high standards to be undermined by a trade policy which allows food produced to standards that would be deemed illegal here being allowed to enter into the UK.

"Our standards of animal welfare and environmental management should instead form a benchmark for global standards.

“An abrupt ‘No-deal’ departure from the EU would represent a serious threat to the viability of our sector.”