The RWAS’2018 president, makes a plea for food sustainability to be made a priority at a time of uncertainty
THE wealth of the natural landscape in Montgomeryshire and in Wales gives us the resources to combat the effects of climate change, while producing a protein source in beef and lamb by utilising the grasslands of our hills and uplands.
I feel fortunate to have farmed through a peaceful era in the history of our country and a very fruitful era in agriculture, where production was encouraged.
Today, we have the uncertainty and complexities of Brexit to negotiate. While I agree with the need to control our own policies as a country, I do feel it is vital that we value the importance of working in partnership and collaborating with our neighbours in Europe.
We certainly do not want tariffs on our exports as it would have an extremely detrimental effect on our industry, and in particular on our Welsh lamb. Frictionless trade with our main trading partners must be a priority.
As we watch the news from around the world, it is clear that we live in very uncertain and volatile times, with destructive conflicts in many regions. Water and food shortages and plastics in our oceans all highlight the increasingly damaging human footprint on our planet.
Our response to these concerning issues must be to safeguard food security for our people and take control of our own destiny. Producing food, sustainably, must be given priority and here in Wales we are ideally positioned to deliver this essential ‘public good.’
Farming in Wales has an exciting future and I am confident that our farmers will deliver on all fronts.
The Royal Welsh Show is the highlight of the farming calendar and is an incredible shop window to showcase to the rest of the world what Wales and its farmers have to offer.
The collaborative model of all the counties coming together under the guidance of the show directors and their team of staff drives its success and is a perfect example of what can be achieved when everybody works together.
The show creates in me an overwhelming feeling of pride. Proud to be a farmer, proud to be Welsh and proud to be part of the wonderful Royal Welsh community.