'The farming industry cannot escape competition - competition is there'

Gwyn Jones, AHDB Dairy Board Chairman, gave members an insight into the work of AHDB at the recent NFU Cymru Mid Gwynedd annual conference.

At the meeting, Gwyn, who is originally from Abergeirw in Meirionnydd, but now farms in Sussex, explained that the farming industry cannot escape competition, he said, “Competition is there and I see no reason why Welsh and British farmers cannot compete, given the excellence of our leading farmers and some of the natural advantages we have in this country, although currency is an issue.

“AHDB can help farm businesses by providing market intelligence, Research & Development, genetics, knowledge exchange and support to help improve efficiencies and increase productivity. We are instrumental in developing markets both at home and abroad in some sectors and we as a levy board are constantly looking at ways that we can help give farmers in Wales and the UK a competitive advantage.

“It is however becoming harder to track the market, with market prices becoming increasingly more volatile. All sectors of the industry now experience volatility with low prices in most sectors during 2015. Looking ahead, 2016 looks like it could present the same difficulties making it a challenging year.”

NFU Cymru Deputy President, John Davies, also addressed the meeting and said, “With market volatility increasingly becoming a problem, we need to directly target the consumer and ask them to continue to back Welsh farming. Supermarkets have a role to play in not misleading consumers, by using clear country of origin labelling.

NFU Cymru has lobbied for supermarkets to use clear labelling and we’re pleased that Tesco has confirmed that at the end of February 2016, it will no longer be selling lamb products in mixed origin packs, however as the biggest retailer they need to do more for the Welsh and UK sheep industry.”

Richard Parry, NFU Cymru Mid Gwynedd Chairman, thanked Gwyn Jones for speaking at the conference and giving members an insight into the work of AHDB, he also thanked HSBC for sponsoring the conference.

Richard concluded, “2015 was a tough year for all sectors of the industry but I know we have the backing of consumers who perceive Welsh and British meat as good quality. Therefore, for consumers to make an informed decision, supermarkets must use clear country of origin labelling for all their products.”