Prince of Wales backs family farms

The Prince of Wales has backed family farms, co-operation, native livestock breeds and efforts to persuade schools and hospitals to use locally produced food.

During a visit to the hill farm owned by Gareth Vaughan, president of the Farmers Union of Wales, he said that he had been reminded just how profoundly he believed in the importance of such family run units.

They produced superb food and protected all that was great about the culture and heritage of Wales, including the landscape.

It did not matter if some were a little bit less efficient than others as all contributed to the quality of rural life.

Prince Charles acknowledged that farming faced the greatest period of change since the last World War. He felt it was important that farmers supplied what the market wanted, and got together to market their products.

“I welcome the growing emphasis on quality and the fact that consumers are becoming more discerning,” Prince Charles claimed. “This is an opportunity for traditional breeds to come into their own at last.”

The switch to a single farm payment was encouraging people to look at more extensive systems producing high quality animals, and there was a case for exploiting breed identification and the locality where food was produced.

The visit was part of the FUW’s golden anniversary celebrations.