Welsh Lib Dems Raise Ongoing Red Tape Hitting Welsh Lamb

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have raised fresh concerns in Parliament about the continued red tape facing Welsh farmers and food producers exporting meat, particularly lamb, to the European Union.

Speaking during a parliamentary debate secured by the Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick, the Lib Dems highlighted how producers in rural areas of Wales are still encountering significant costs, delays and bureaucracy when exporting to key EU markets including Germany and the Netherlands.

Welsh lamb exports are especially exposed to post-Brexit barriers. While the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement removed tariffs and quotas, it introduced new non-tariff barriers, including export health certificates, veterinary sign-off and sanitary and phytosanitary checks. These requirements were absent when the UK was part of the EU Single Market and Customs Union.

Although the UK Government has announced progress towards closer cooperation with the EU on food and agricultural trade, there is still no fully settled or implemented Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement in place. As a result, exporters remain subject to many of the same requirements introduced after Brexit, with smaller producers often bearing the greatest burden.

Welsh food and drink exports were worth £813 million in 2023, with around 75% destined for EU countries. The EU remains the destination for around a third of Welsh lamb exports, around 90% of Welsh beef exports and the vast majority of Welsh dairy exports, underlining how vital smooth access to European markets is for rural Wales.

Mr Chadwick also warned that repeated delays to the UK’s own border control system and uneven inspection regimes have left UK farmers at a disadvantage, while imports face fewer checks than equivalent British exports. He said these failures were the direct result of Brexit decisions taken by Conservative governments, supported and promoted by Reform UK, without regard for the practical impact on agriculture.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to urgently secure a fully implemented SPS agreement with the EU, developed in close collaboration with farmers and food producers, to reduce unnecessary barriers, protect rural livelihoods and restore confidence in export markets.

Commenting, David Chadwick, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Wales, said:

“Welsh farmers were promised that Brexit would make exporting easier. Instead, Conservative governments, cheered on by Reform UK, delivered more paperwork, higher costs and fewer markets.

“Farmers in rural Wales are still paying the price for ideological decisions taken in Westminster with little understanding of how agriculture actually works.

“Warm words and future negotiations are not enough. The Government needs to stop dragging its feet, finish the job on an SPS agreement with the EU, and give Welsh farmers back the ability to sell their world-class produce without unnecessary red tape.”