Farming: Raising The Profile

Alongside a policy commitment on public procurement, a campaign will aim to raise the profile of Welsh food within the tourism and hospitality sector.

The initiative is linked to an organic farming scheme for Wales announced by Wales rural affairs minister, Elin Jones, at the annual conference of Organic Centre Wales last week.
Along with grants to help farmers convert to organic production – including £1,000 for the first hectare – comes a new payment of £200 per hectare per year for vegetables, access to arable payments, streamlined processing so that applications are dealt with quicker and the integration of organics with agri-environment schemes like Tir Gofal.

Ms Jones urged farmers to diversify and produce a greater range of food – for their own benefit as well as meeting the needs of the country and helping to combat climate change. “Our children and elderly people won’t live off lamb alone,” she told delegates to the conference at the Royal Welsh Showground.

Peter Davies, Wales vice-chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission, told the conference that the next 16 years were critical if the world was to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. “The farming community is at the forefront and the first to experience the impacts,” he said. “The hot summer of 2003 will be the norm by 2040 and will be seen as a cool summer by 2050.”

Climate change would bring reduced soil moisture, increases in heat stress for livestock, new pests and diseases and greater extremes of weather, but there could also be opportunities including longer growing seasons, the possibility of increased yields and reduced frost damage.

Mr Davies was also vice-chairman of the 2020 Group, which produced its report on the landmark future of the Welsh Uplands last month. He said the organic sector had influenced the recommendations, which include connecting the farming community with the market in a way that adds value to produce and achieves greater sustainability.

“The organic sector has done that more effectively and that has to transfer across the whole sector if we are to deliver a sustainable future for agriculture in Wales,” he said.

Mr Davies revealed the Sustainable Development Commission’s review of supermarkets, to be published in February, would criticise “a lack of leadership and long-term vision at the level of Government. “Food is the average householder’s largest single contributor to climate change,” he said.

“But one-third of fresh food is thrown away, and at a time when obesity and water shortages are worrying ministers, it takes 2,400 litres of water to produce a hamburger. Forty per cent of all fresh fruit and vegetables comes from sub-Sahara Africa.

“Wales needs to be known around the world as a low carbon, high value economy and the food sector can be the leader.”