NFU harvest celebration

Harvest time is a time for celebration amongst farmers and NFU Cymru has this week held an event in Cardiff Bay to celebrate and promote the high quality of Welsh food with retailers and Assembly Members.

Ed Bailey, NFU Cymru President said, "This time of year is particularly poignant for farmers since it’s harvest time but we are mindful of the fact that farmers need to look beyond the farm gate and that the Welsh food sector is not just a growing opportunity, forgive the pun, for primary producers but for the Welsh economy as a whole."

NFU Cymru’s celebration of Welsh food took place in the Oriel gallery of the Senedd, in Cardiff Bay. Ed Bailey hosted the lunchtime event which was financially sponsored by the Food, Fish and Market Development department of the Welsh Assembly Government.

Ed Bailey said, "Our event to celebrate Welsh food is particularly timely with the recent launch by the Welsh Assembly Government of its consultation ’Food for Wales, Food from Wales’. This is more than just a Rural Development Strategy as the fact is food policy affects us all. Food is central not only to Rural Affairs but to health, education, economy, transport and of course to the environment and it is good that the Welsh Assembly Government has recognised the need for this joined up approach."

Mr Bailey added, "I 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 couldn’t be locally sourced for our event was sourced in line with Fair Trade Wales protocols to show our support for Fair Trade Wales."

Elin Jones, the Rural Affairs Minister and the Most Reverend, Dr Barrie Morgan, the Archbishop of Wales, were the main speakers at the event which gave those present a ’taste’ of what Wales has to offer.

Students from the Welsh college of Horticulture in Flintshire were given the task by NFU Cymru to come up with a traditional harvest festival display for the event. The team of students and their tutor, Jennifer Wallis, designed and produced a dramatic display which was made out of straw, wheat, fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers that had been grown in Wales.

Elin Jones, Rural Affairs Minister, said she was impressed with the harvest festival display and thanked NFU Cymru for its efforts in showcasing and highlighting the importance of Welsh food and drink. She added, "Food production is a huge part of the Welsh economy. Welsh land continues to be farmed by family farms and producing food is our raison d’etre of farming. Wales offers a variety of quality products from lamb and beef to whiskey, cheese and chocolates."

The Most Reverend Dr Barrie Morgan, the Archbishop of Wales said, "Farmers have helped Wales to have a new confidence in itself as a nation by being proud to advertise Welsh produce and farmers should be proud because these are excellent products, able to compete with anything produced in any other part of the world. It’s good to celebrate that fact."

NFU Cymru would like to thank event sponsor, Paul Davies, the Assembly Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire, who stood in at the last minute for Brynle Williams AM.