“Wales must have a sound agricultural education strategy,” was the clear message from Professor E Wynne Jones, when he addressed the recent Mid-Gwynedd NFU Cymru County Conference.
Retired Principal of Harper Adams University, Professor E Wynne Jones, said, “An agricultural education strategy for Wales will help justify and maintain funding and allow the industry itself to contribute to its contents, this will then ensure that the courses and training available are industry led.”
Speaking of a need for professionalism in agriculture to be more formally recognised, he said, “In my view, an institution, such as the Institute of Agricultural Management is vital for Welsh Agriculture, other professions have them, so why should the most important industry in Wales not have one too?
“Agriculture and food security are high priority areas for Government funded research, however, below that, we need a network of farms that can make available and disseminate this information to all Welsh farmers. It should be a bottom-up approach with the farming industry telling researchers what they want from them.”
Professor Wynne Jones went onto say that the interaction of farmers with the public must continue to improve and suggested the expansion of the FACE initiative would be one way of ensuring that this continues to develop.
Elected for a second year as Mid-Gwynedd NFU Cymru County Chairman, Aled Jones, said, “Agricultural courses, available at all levels play an essential role in ensuring a highly skilled and well trained farm workforce. The industry cannot afford to stand still and in moving forward, education and training must be relevant and accessible.”
“Thank you to Professor E Wynne Jones for addressing the conference and also to HSBC bank for its generous sponsorship of the conference.”
