General Election 2010: Make farming an election priority, urges NFU Cymru

Creating a productive farming indsutry must be a priority for the next government, according to NFU Cymru.

Five political parties were represented at the launch of the union’s general election manifesto on a dairy farm in Ceredigion.

Farmers gathered at Tynlofft Farm, near Lampeter, to grill prospective parliamentary candidates contesting the Ceredigion seat.

NFU Cymru president, Ed Bailey, warned that any incoming government must put productive agriculture at the centre of its political agenda.

Food labelling, he told the candidates, was an issue of major concern to Welsh farmers and needed reviewing urgently.

“For too long it has been too easy for those who wish to mislead consumers as to where their food comes from to do so,” said Mr Bailey.

“NFU Cymru wants clear and unambiguous country of origin labelling on all meat and meat products allowing consumers to make an informed choice.”

Another topic hotly debated at the launch was the squeeze on funding for agricultural research and development.

DEFRA has cut expenditure on this from around £82m in 2001-02 to around £63m in 2008-09.

“The challenges of feeding a global population which is estimated to reach 9 billion by 2050 cannot be underestimated,” he said.

“That is why a research and development focus on increasing resource use efficiency, genetic improvement of crops and livestock, control of pests and diseases, reducing waste and increasing by product use in farming systems are more vital than ever.”