An internal market white paper published by the UK Government last week is a "significant step backwards" and will make things "bleaker not better" for Wales, says the First Minister.

Speaking to NFU Cymru members at the virtual Royal Welsh Show, Mr Drakeford described the paper as a "race to the bottom which is not what we need here in Wales".

He told farmers on Monday that Wales would have no choice but to allow lower standard goods to be sold in the country.

The white paper sets out options to protect the flow of goods and services in the UK’s internal market. Any internal disputes would be arbitrated by the UK Government which, Mr Drakeford said, "weakens our ability to stand up for things here in Wales".

Mr Drakeford said: "We are very clear ourselves that the future for Welsh agriculture has to be one of high standards; high food production and environmental standards, and high standards of animal welfare. We will make the ongoing case for making the very best standards in any future trade deal.

"We simply cannot allow imported goods produced to lower standards unfairly to undercut domestic produce and to undo all the work that has gone in the industry over recent years to establish the Welsh brand, and as a brand absolutely rooted in those high quality aspects.

"While the UK Government embarks on negotiations with the rest of the world, we keep reminding them that no market is important to Wales than our nearest and biggest market worked on over so many years by UK governments with our friends in the European Union.

"Any loss of zero tariff and quota access to the EU would have a significant negative impact for us. Those negative impacts won't be simply mitigated by much smaller opportunities with the rest of the world. There's one of those rules of thumb in economics: trade halves as distance doubles. You are always going to do more trade with those closest to you geographically and the further countries are the greater the barriers will be".