A BREXIT bill proposed by the UK Government could "put the Welsh food and farming industry back decades", according to a Welsh Government minister.

Environment and rural affairs secretary Lesley Griffiths believes the UK Withdrawal Bill does little to understand the needs of Welsh farmers.

Ms Griffiths went on to say that devolution had allowed the Welsh Government to "tailor its policies" for Welsh farmers.

"I’m worried the Withdrawal Bill, coupled with their lack of engagement with us to understand the needs of Welsh farmers, will mean this understanding is lost and the industry in Wales will move back decades," said the AM.

“This view was clearly reflected in last week’s report from the House of Lords’ EU Committee, which fully supported our position on the future governance of the UK."

According to Ms Griffiths there are a higher proportion of sheep farmers in Wales than in England, with 90 per cent of Welsh red meat exports going to the European Union.

As it stands, the Bill would strip the Welsh Government's power to interpret EU law and adapt it for Welsh needs.

Governance over farm payments and animal health, issues that have been devolved to Wales for almost two decades, would be under control of the UK Government.

The Cabinet Secretary reassured farmers she will continue to stand up for their interests and will today meet with the her opposite number in the UK Government, Michael Gove, and to raise her concerns.

"I’ll be making clear this Bill has shown a complete disregard for devolution as did his decision to cancel the next two planned meetings of UK agriculture and environment ministers," said Ms Griffiths.

"These meetings are crucial as the negotiations move forward and cancelling them shows a complete lack of commitment to working together.”

As part of a continued programme of actions to support the specific needs of the Welsh food and farming industry the Cabinet Secretary will this week announce Wales will join the Atlantic Area Food Export Programme, meaning SMEs will benefit from €1.8million to increase their competitiveness in international markets.

Ms Griffiths added: “We’ll continue to rally behind the Welsh food and drink industry – only last week new figures showed the industry had grown by almost 20% over the past year and we want to see it continue to grow year on year with our support.”