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"Farmers are facing huge challenges in terms of food production and there are big questions to which there are no simple answers, but they will have to be addressed sooner rather than later," said NFU Cymru President, Dai Davies, at the Union’s Autumn Conference.

Accepting that both politicians and the consuming public’s attitudes have changed recently Dai Davies stressed that farming needs to continue to sit at the core of economic thinking; with food production having at least an equal footing with the environment in Government policy, as agriculture rises to the challenges of producing more while impacting less.

Elin Jones, Minister for Rural Affairs, during her keynote speech, outlined the role of Welsh farmers, Government and retailers to secure a sustainable supply of food from Wales. The Minister wants to see individual farming businesses and the sector in its entirety become more profitable, more sustainable and more market-focused and said that achieving this could only be done through a combination of approaches between the Government and the farmer, the marketplace and the farmer and the consumer and the farmer.

With a clear message to retailers, Elin Jones said, "Retailers must incentivise the supply of food from Welsh farms by providing a fair price for that food. Work with the Welsh Assembly Government and farmers to ensure a long-term, sustainable supply of food from Wales."

Ed Bailey, Vice President of NFU Cymru, on summing up the conference welcomed the Minister’s comment that farmers need to work alongside processors and retailers, but insisted that there should be more transparency within the food chain. He said, "We as food producers are back in vogue, the world has woken up to the very real likelihood that food, because of a burgeoning population and climate change will become scarcer and scarcer. We all appreciate that increasing food will have to be done sustainably."

Other speakers at the annual conference were Professor Patrick Wall – Associate Professor of Public Health in University Dublin, who explained how farmers need ’common sense regulations’. Tassos Haniotis, Head of Unit, Agricultural Policy Analysis and Perspective for the European Commission, spoke of food production in terms of the market situation, direct payments and rural development. In support of direct payments Tassos Haniotis explained that payments are in place not only for the good of the public but to support producers’ income and insisted that this support must be there in the future for what producers can’t get from the market place.

Closing the conference, Simon Wright, Restaurateur and Broadcaster explained to those present that the perception of Welsh food has blossomed because of the quality of products farmers produce. Predicting a higher demand on Welsh produce for Welsh restaurants Simon Wright asked those farmers present to work closer with restaurateurs and their customers.

Ed Bailey concluded, "We must thank our sponsor Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales, without whose support the conference would not have been possible."

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