To celebrate the quality and taste of the Welsh food that farmers produce, NFU Cymru is holding an event tomorrow with Assembly Members in the Senedd in Cardiff Bay.
Stephen James, NFU Cymru President said, “Wales is home to a very diverse range of high quality produce, that we, as farmers and food producers, are rightly proud of. We will explain to Assembly Members tomorrow how there is tremendous potential to grow the market for what we produce in Wales, both within the UK and further afield, by playing to our strengths, our expertise and knowledge and our climate.”
NFU Cymru’s celebration of Welsh food will take place in the Oriel Gallery of the Senedd, in Cardiff Bay, on Wednesday, 24 June 2015. Stephen James will host the lunchtime event which has kindly been sponsored by Russell George AM.
As well as Stephen James and Russell George AM, Abergavenny based, Michelin Starred chef, Stephen Terry, has kindly agreed to say a few words at the event about the importance of local, high quality Welsh produce and why he chooses to use it at his restaurant, the Hardwick.
Stephen James said, “The Welsh Government has set itself, and the agricultural industry, a target to see a growth in the food and farming sector of 30% in terms of turnover to £6.7billion and a 10% growth in Gross Value Added to £1.4billion, by 2020. It is encouraging to see this recognition given to the food and drink sector.”
Mr James continued, “We will use our event in the Senedd to highlight to Assembly Members how these ambitious targets can be achieved, if the Welsh Government and the food supply chain work together; and one area where we might do this is through public sector procurement.”
In conclusion Mr James said, “I do appreciate that Wales has idyllic conditions for creating some of the world’s finest food, however, as part of this event, we must also recognise those farmers in different climates that produce food that it is virtually impossible for us to grow. Therefore everything that cannot be locally sourced for our event will be sourced in line with Fair Trade Wales protocols to show our support for Fair Trade Wales.”
