The union welcomed a bumper crowd to its annual conference at the Metropole Hotel in Llandrindod Wells on Thursday 5th November, where the focus was on the union working with government and industry partners to realise the potential of Welsh farming.
NFU Cymru President Abi Reader used her first conference speech as president of the union to acknowledge some of the ongoing challenges facing Welsh agriculture, as well as noting the positive progress that has been made in certain areas to address some of these issues since May's Senedd Elections. She also sought to highlight the significant opportunities for farming in Wales if enabling policies and strategic wider-industry collaboration aligns to support Welsh agriculture to thrive.
She told farmers attending the NFU Cymru Conference: "Welsh farming is a dynamic industry that delivers growth and opportunity not only in rural areas, but for the whole of Wales. I am immensely excited about the opportunities we have for further sustainable growth over the coming years. I am passionate that in my time as President of NFU Cymru I want to create the conditions to help deliver success to your farming business and to Welsh farming.”
The conference's keynote political address was delivered by Cabinet Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Rural Resilience Llyr Gruffydd MS, who cited positive policy announcements made by Welsh Government that are now benefitting farming businesses. The Cabinet Minister also discussed other areas of ambition for farming and rural Wales within Welsh Government's Programme for Government.
After a short coffee break, Prof Nigel Scollan, Head of School, School of Biological Sciences, Queens University Belfast, took to the conference stage for an informed and forward-looking session on sustainable food production systems. Prof Scollan's address outlined that important discussions around the concept of food security cannot be viewed solely through the lens of of food production, they must also encompass access, affordability, nutrition, safety and resilience.
The Delivering for Welsh Food session saw Simon Wright, Independent Chair of Welsh Government’s new National Food Strategy, outline his holistic vision for Wales’ food and drink sector. He discussed his work leading a group seeking to link-up Wales’ food policy from farm to fork, spanning production, processing and retail. As well as expanding on some of the strengths of the current system, along with identifying where gaps exist, this session also explored how the food Welsh farmers produce factors into health, education, public procurement and the circular economy.
The post-lunch session saw NFU Cymru Deputy President Paul Williams chair an industry panel session featuring Red Tractor Chair Alistair Mackintosh, Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) Chair Catherine Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Welsh Lamb and Beef Producers (WLBP) Don Thomas and Chair of the Independent Review of the Bureaucratic Burden on Family Farms, John Davies. This session provided attendees with the unique opportunity to ask questions to the figureheads of some of the country's leading farm assurance groups and levy bodies, as well as hearing about some of the work to reduce duplication and red tape between assurance schemes, regulation and policy.
In the final session, attendees were given an entertaining insight into the contribution of agriculture and its allied industries to the local rural economy courtesy of Wynnstay CEO Alk Brand and Mona Tractors Finance Director Susan Jones.
NFU Cymru Deputy President Paul Williams, who brought the conference to a close, said of the event: "I am delighted that we had so many members, partners and industry stakeholders able to join this year's conference. Our expert speakers provided the thought-provoking platform for engaging discussions throughout the day around the pertinent issues affecting Welsh farming, as well as the sector's strong credentials and the potential this gives us for sustainable future growth. There is no doubt that there are exciting opportunities ahead for our industry that would deliver wide-ranging benefits far beyond the farm gate. NFU Cymru is committed to driving our industry forward and ensuring we maximise the potential of Welsh farming and Wales' food and drink sector."
NFU Cymru members can read detailed analysis from each of the NFU Cymru Conference sessions in the next edition of Farming Wales.