Common ground shared on net zero ambitions

I WAS delighted to be able to represent NFU Cymru at the recent Blas Cymru/taste Wales event at the International Convention Centre Wales in Newport recently. It was my first opportunity to visit the impressive ICC Wales venue and it’s a setting that I think Wales can be extremely proud of.

It was great to welcome the return of Blas Cymru/taste Wales event after the coronavirus pandemic and see so many faces from across the industry coming together to celebrate all that is great about the Welsh food and drink sector.

The event itself is something of a blend of conference, seminars and trade show and it was a great opportunity to engage with people from right across the thriving Welsh food and drink sector, from buyers to producers.

I was particularly pleased to be able to connect with Nathan Edwards, Tesco’s buying manager for Wales, and talk to him about NFU Cymru’s net zero 2040 strategy and the high sustainability values of Welsh red meat, dairy and eggs. In turn, Nathan detailed Tesco’s own net zero ambitions and it was encouraging to hear that there was a lot of common ground shared between the two organisations. With the COP26 summit dominating the news and climate change at the forefront of everyone’s minds, I impressed to Nathan that Welsh farmers are already amongst the most climatefriendly food producers in the world. I added that Tesco customers can have confidence that the delicious and nutritious Welsh food on their plate has been produced in a sustainable, climateconscious manner.

While there is no getting away from the fact that the Welsh food and drink sector has faced some significant challenges since the impact of Covid-19 – not least the pandemic’s initial impact on the foodservice sector and the longer effects in terms effects on the labour market – the conference underlined that there are some exciting opportunities on the horizon, too.

At present, of the £7.5 billion revenue stream provided by the Welsh food and drink sector, only around 10% of that is made up of imports.

The post-brexit world we find ourselves in will provide increased export opportunities in the future and we are keen to work with our levy bodies Hybu Cig Cymru and AHDB to ensure we can capitalise on new markets for our produce. It is very important for the future development of food and farming in Wales that we are able to access these new markets.

As you might expect, Blas Cymru/taste Wales provided a flavour of the very best food and drink that Wales has to offer. As a proud beef and sheep producer I was delighted to see that delicious PGI Welsh Beef and PGI Welsh Lamb samples were available for those in attendance. That particular beef and lamb had been provided by the butcher Douglas Willis, who has supplied beef and lamb to Celtic Manor estate (of which ICC Wales is now a part) for more than 20 years. I’d recently had the pleasure of meeting Douglas at a local rugby match, and I know he has always been a big supporter of local markets in Brecon and Radnorshire. Given the increasing importance of the out of home sector in the coming years and ensuring that it’s Welsh food that’s on customers’ plates, this support for our sector from Douglas Willis and other strong Welsh businesses is greatly appreciated.