Better profile needed for the farming industry

Farmers need to work harder to communicate with the wider public and build a better profile of the industry, was the message from Mid Gwynedd farmers at a meeting held recently.

Speaking at a meeting of local NFU Cymru members in Caernarfon, County Chairman John Gwynant Hughes of Criccieth said, “Agriculture is a shop window industry with a good proportion of the population having an opinion, which ranges from the good, bad to the indifferent. This interest in farming can be a double-edged sword and as farmers and as an industry we have not always been the best communicators, which has led to a lot of myths and half-truths surrounding farming.

“We must work to ensure that clear, simple messages are promoted to the wider public. For instance, production standards and environmental concerns are high on the public’s agenda and we must reinforce the message at all times that Wales has assurance schemes that set high standards of practice at all stages of the production process; with each farm independently checked to ensure it meets world-beating standards on food hygiene, animal welfare and the environment from field to plate giving a meal that not only can be enjoyed but trusted,” said John Gwynant Hughes

“Of growing importance is the wider environmental picture - particularly that associated with the increasing transportation of food, which not just clutters our roads but uses up fuel and contributes to global pollution. The issue of sourcing food locally is a strong message, not just in terms of contributing to the Welsh economy, but also in terms of helping to combat the key environmental problem - global pollution - that food miles helps to generate on a daily basis,” Concluded Mr Hughes.