Food an essential sector of the Welsh Economy - Royal Welsh Show (From Smallholder)

Food an essential sector of the Welsh Economy - Royal Welsh Show

1:23pm Monday 18th July 2011 in News

Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Alun Davies, today emphasised the important role that the food sector plays in the Welsh Economy.

Speaking at Hybu Cig Cymru’s reception on the first morning of the Royal Welsh Show at Llanelwedd, the Deputy Minister said: “The food sector, which includes agriculture and processing companies, is not a cottage industry, it is big business. The red meat sector alone is a valuable part of the Welsh economy; worth more than half a billion pounds a year. Include all the added value areas such as retail, food service and international factors and you can easily double that figure.

“As a business, Welsh food deserves to be recognised as a major industry and I am committed to creating the conditions in which this can happen. There are several ways in which we can do this. For example, "Hybu Cig Cymru has set a standard to successfully develop, promote and market red meat from Wales and we will be exploring how HCC's approach might be usefully adapted for other Welsh produce. I also want to reduce the red tape that farmers have to deal with which will allow them to focus on producing good food and good profits and of course I will be fighting Wales’ corner when it comes to the CAP reform and budget.”

The Deputy Minister also paid tribute to the work of Hybu Cig Cymru in helping the red meat industry, saying: “As well as marketing Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef, HCC is also involved in the entire supply chain, from farm to fork. It’s these links in the chain which enables HCC to encourage farmers, through various projects, to improve the standards of their livestock which in turn delivers higher prices in the marketplace and a better standard of meat for the consumer. It is this joined up approach that can only be good for everyone involved in the chain. “