ONE of the many faces that could be spotted at the Royal Welsh Show 2017 was Leader of the Welsh UKIP Party in the Welsh Assembly, Neil Hamilton AM.

A controversial public figure, Mr Hamilton is an Assembly Member for Mid and West Wales.

“I am enjoying the show as ever. I have been around visiting stalls and I have been to view the sheep,” he said.

Mr Hamilton can ordinarily be spotted with his wife, Christine, but unfortunately she was missing out on the great weather at the 2017 show due to an operation.

The 2017 show was a hub of political debate, with appearances by Secretary of State for Agriculture Michael Gove MP, First Minister Carwyn Jones AM, Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns MP, Welsh Education Secretary Kirsty Williams AM and Welsh Rural Affairs Secretary Lesley Griffiths also attending.

The looming issue is Brexit, a topic Mr Hamilton views as an open opportunity.

He said: “I think Brexit is a terrific opportunity for Welsh agriculture. A one size fits all policy isn’t going to work. One policy isn’t going to benefit the Welsh farmers. Now we can tailor policy to the needs of Wales.

“Then, politicians down in Cardiff will be accountable. At the moment all the big decisions are taken in Brussels, it is a great opportunity for us to change agricultural policy.

“We want to cap the payments to £120,000 to cut out big business farms and slant policy in favour of family farms in uplands who cannot be viable without help.”