Welsh food production “defines us as a nation”

by Andrew Forgrave - 19/07/2011

"FOOD is moving up the political agenda in Wales as cottage industry production is replaced by big business and the spectre of hunger stalks the world stage."

Farming leaders and politicians yesterday acknowledged the contribution of the food chain which new figures suggest is now the biggest employer in Wales.

Alun Davies, deputy minister for farming, spoke of how food “defined our nation” while the Farmers Union of Wales (FUW) said politicians were finally “waking up” to the real prospect of food shortages.

They spoke out as Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC), which oversees Wales’ half- a-billion pound red meat sector, launched a new assault on the Canadian market and announced a multi-million pound expansion in Europe.

Over the next three years HCC will spend 4m euros – more than £3.5m – in promoting Welsh Lamb on the Continent.

Alun Davies said: “Welsh food deserves to be recognised as a major industry and I am committed to creating the conditions in which this can happen.”

As well as cutting red tape – an announcement is expected soon – the minister wants to explore how HCC's approach might be adapted for other Welsh produce sectors.

According to interim figures from the Welsh Food and Drink Skills Project, the sector employs more thanŠ230,000 people, or 18% of the total Welsh workforce.

Each year it generates £6.5bn of revenue (up 3.4% from 2009).

Ten new food products, all incubated by Coleg Menai’s Food Technology Centre, were launched yesterday, and attempts are ongoing to widen the appeal of existing Welsh products as global brands.

At this week’s Royal Welsh Show, HCC said it was set to make in-roads into the Canadian market and was optimistic of a breakthrough in talks to supply Welsh Lamb to China.

In Canada, export health certificates for Welsh Lamb have been granted to all the Welsh abattoirs that applied for them. With worldwide demand for lamb rising, Canada is looking for new suppliers.

Most Welsh Lamb is currently sold to mainland Europe but sales are rising fast in the Far East, with exports to Hong Kong up 35% and Singapore by 80%.

“Welsh Lamb can truly be described as a global brand, an achievement that everyone in Wales can be justly proud,” said HCC’s market development manager Laura Dodds.

HCC will today confirm new EC funding to consolidate its presence in four European countries – France, Germany, Italy and the UK.

The 4m euro initiative will emphasise the qualities which led to Welsh Lamb being granted Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status. HCC will contribute half the funding, with the rest coming from an EU fund to promote farm products.

The cash will pay for advertising, point-of-sale materials, trade missions and micro websites.

HCC chairman Dai Davies said: “The additional promotional work can only reap benefits for farmers and processors here in Wales.”

FUW president Emyr Jones said food security was finally entering the national consciousness.

“Food is quite an important commodity,” he said. “Especially when you haven’t got any.”

He said family farms – the backbone of Welsh rural communities – must be allowed to play their part in ensuring people don’t go hungry.

Rounding on proponents of mega farms, he said politicians must not condemn smaller farms to niche production.

If meat production is on a high at the moment, the opposite was true for dairy farming, said NFU Cymru deputy president Stephen James.

He said farmers should be paid a milk price that reflects current market conditions – but retailers and processors were continuing to squeeze producers, he said.

More Details: http://www.dailypost.co.uk/farming-north-wales/farming-news/2011/07/19/welsh-food-production-defines-us-as-a-nation-55578-29077897/