NFU Cymru urges shoppers to ‘Back Welsh Farming’
NFU Cymru has launched a campaign urging shoppers to support Welsh farmers by buying Welsh produce whenever possible.
Timed to coincide with the start of the 2013 Royal Welsh Show (22-25 July), the Back Welsh Farming campaign aims to build consumer awareness about the quality of local food and the importance of shorter supply chains in the wake of the horsemeat scandal.
Speaking ahead of the show, NFU Cymru president Ed Bailey said he wanted to help producers add value to end products and ultimately grow the Welsh food and drinks sector, which was worth £2.8bn.
“Welsh farmers adhere to some of the most stringent and regulated standards in the world. The recent horsemeat scandal demonstrated that equally stringent standards were not necessarily upheld further up the supply chain. The key lesson for consumers is the shorter the supply chain the lower the chance of something going wrong, the less chance of contamination.”
While shoppers should try to buy local or Welsh where possible, he acknowledged that it was not always possible for some products and in such cases it was vital to read the labels and be guided by the Red Tractor logo when buying British.
“Our Back Welsh Farming campaign is very much focussed on engaging with the consumer and asking their support in backing Welsh farming but I think the slogan could as easily be targeted at our government in Cardiff Bay,” he added.
Mr Bailey also called on ministers to address several other key issues, as summarised below:
CAP:
Farmers need a carefully managed transition from a historic to area-based payment system and a differential payment system that minimises redistribution between farming businesses, sectors and areas of Wales. Mr Bailey also called for flexibility on greening measures to acknowledge the work already done on farms.
Milk contracts:
Processors had made significant progress over the past year in signing up to the code of practice on milk contracts, but Mr Bailey said it was unacceptable that some were “dragging their feet” and called on ministers to put pressure on those “code breakers”.
TB:
Mr Bailey asked government look again at the science behind a badger cull and the lessons learnt from other countries and to back a comprehensive TB eradication programme.
Glastir:
Mr Bailey said the review of Glastir should ensure that lessons are learnt from the past and any changes are “field tested” on-farm before being included within any revised scheme.
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