More support for our farmers
HAVING spoken in the recent Welsh Conservative debate on our rural industry, I was very proud to pledge my support for our farmers who work long hours producing such fine quality local produce. With one third of people in Wales living in a rural community, the importance of this economy to Wales and we as consumers, simply cannot be overstated. Here in Aberconwy we have many working family farms, struggling within our own rural economy and this must be addressed.
With a strong reputation for producing some of the best beef and lamb in the world, it is vital that Government and consumer support is more forthcoming to protect the red meat and the dairy industry itself. Many will have seen the desperate pleas from the farming organisation’s and those working in this industry to gain full recognition for the plight of farmers who are simply now unable to produce food for a sensible worthwhile return. Here in Aberconwy, 18 per cent of all business enterprises operate within this sector, well above the British average of just 6 per cent. With a GVA contribution of £374 million in 2014, this has seen a 15 per cent increase from 2013, thereby proving that this is a heritage we simply cannot afford to lose.
With a predicted forecast of Welsh Farmers’ income experiencing a predicted 24 per cent decrease between 2013-2014 and 2014-2015, we must all to do our bit to support our hard working farmers who produce such fine quality produce. The devastation seen by our local food producers is exemplified by the actual fall in the numbers of dairy cows in Wales over the last 10 years, by a sheer drop of some 44,932.
Welsh Labour need to start listening to our Welsh farmers, who themselves have my utmost support in protesting against the competitive pricing of milk in our supermarkets. Obviously whilst consumers enjoy lower prices, this is highly unsustainable for the milk producers themselves and we may see this quality product simply disappear. It is absurd that one can purchase equivalent bottled water and Coca Cola at m much lower prices than fresh quality and localloca milk.
This campaign is running on social media and many are stepping forward to state in no uncertain terms that they would be willing to pay a little more for this produce. Let us all keep this momentum going and insist that our farmers are fairly rewarded and that local Welsh Produce is widely available in our supermarkets as opposed to the high volumes of foreign imports that we have seen of late.