Welsh want own logo
Welsh want own logo
By FW reporters
A NATIONWIDE campaign to promote the British Farm Standard kicks off next week. But Welsh farmers are preparing to launch their own separate label to boost sales of food from Wales.
The NFU has assembled a new team of young, trendy farmers in the belief that they will encourage the public to seek out British food bearing the British Farm Standards tractor logo. The team will travel to Trafalgar Square on Monday (Oct 16) to reinforce the message on more than 350 billboards that read: "For food you can trust, follow the little red tractor".
The same message will appear on 10 more 6m-long posters to be erected along major roads. The posters will be left in place for four weeks, followed by a series of adverts in national and regional newspapers.
But the campaign will be launched days after the publication of a survey which found that 86% of Welsh consumers want a separate logo to identify food produced in Wales. NFU Cymru questioned more than 1000 people about branding during the recent National Eisteddfod.
NFU Cymru president Hugh Richards said the results showed that Wales should introduce its own logo, possibly featuring a dragon. "The NFUs British Farm Standard has given a strong identity to high-quality British food, but Wales has its own identity. It should capitalise on its clean, green image."
Mr Richards dismissed suggestions that a separate label for Wales could undermine the British Farm Standard mark. Any logo would be used in association with the British Farm Standard mark, which was already reassuring consumers on quality, safety, animal welfare and care of the environment, he said.
NFU public relations manager Simon Rayner was relaxed about the prospect of the red tractor sitting alongside a red dragon, but said the union would reconsider its stance if a rash of labels appeared. "People have started to look for the little red tractor and we must be careful of anything which could undo this good work." *