ONE of the hottest topics around at the moment – the upcoming EU referendum – was at the top of the agenda at the Farmers’ Union of Wales Meirionnydd AGM.

The event, which was held at Dolgellau Rugby Club, was attended by a large number of union members and candidates for the Welsh Assembly elections for the Meirionnydd Dwyfor constituency spoke about their plans and commitments to agriculture following the May elections.

The speakers included current AM and Plaid Cymru candidate Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas, Liberal Democrat candidate Stephen Churchman, Labour candidate Ian MacIntyre, Conservative candidate Neil Fairlamb and Green Party representative Alice Hooker-Stroud. A representative of UKIP had also been invited.

Each candidate gave a presentation and thereafter questions were invited from the floor.

FUW Meirionnydd county executive officer Huw Jones said: “The biggest questions of the night was a request for clarification on the views of the panel on the forthcoming EU referendum.

“This is of course the biggest issue to affect farming since the UK joined the common market in 1973 and one which at this point is surrounded by controversy as to what would happen if the UK left the EU.

See this week’s Meirionnydd edition of the Cambrian News for the full story