A new campaign launched by NFU Cymru is seeking to drum up public support to help secure the future of food production in Wales.
The union’s Secure the Future of Welsh Food campaign is due to kickstart on Monday (17 June), when the third annual Welsh Farming Week begins.
The initiative aims to encourage people across Wales to show their support for local food by adding their name to the online petition.
NFU Cymru said it was hoping for significant numbers to back the petition to help underline to the government the high level of public support for Welsh food.
The future of farm policy and the funding attached to it has been the subject of much debate in Wales over recent months.
Farming groups have raised serious concerns over the impact of the Welsh government's current policy proposals on farmers’ ability to produce food.
NFU Cymru President Aled Jones said the Future of Welsh Food campaign had an aim of bringing the Welsh farming industry together.
He said: "Our consumer polling last winter highlighted that 82% of the Welsh public support government providing funding to farmers to produce food.
"I also know that NFU Cymru members and staff were taken aback with the positive response from those passing the union’s display of 5,500 wellies on the steps of the Senedd in Cardiff in March.
"All of this points to the fact that the people of Wales hold Welsh food in high regard and they want to see farmers supported to continue producing that food."
NFU Cymru Deputy President Abi Reader said that, ultimately, policy makers must listen to the public's demands for local, high-quality food production.
"As farmers, it’s in our collective interests to make sure the voice of the public is heard when it comes to our efforts to Secure the Future of Welsh Food," she said.
“At a time when food production around the world is under pressure due to the impacts of climate change and global conflict, we simply cannot afford to hinder the production of safe, high-quality food made in a climate that is perfectly suited to producing milk, meat, eggs, potatoes, crops and vegetables.
"We need as many people as possible to sign the petition on the NFU Cymru website over the next few months, in either Welsh or English, to mobilise this support for Welsh food."
