Members and staff from the union – accompanied by life-size model farm animals – pitched up on the North Wales coast on Thursday 2nd July for a public engagement drive promoting local produce to seaside-goers. Hungry punters were able to sample a wide range of Welsh produce including PGI Welsh Lamb and PGI Welsh Beef meatballs provided by AL & RO Jones a’i Fab butchers, Llanwrst; Welsh cheeses produced by Dragon Cheese, Pwllheli using milk sourced from South Caernarfon Creameries; milk shakes from Plas Isa Dairy of Llansanffraid Glan Conwy, Colwyn Bay; Pant Du apple juice produced in Penygroes, Caernarfon; and strawberries from Hooton’s Home Grown on Anglesey.
Engaging with consumers
The eye-catching farm display on the seafront drew considerable attention from intrigued passers-by throughout the day, providing NFU Cymru members and staff with the ideal opportunity to engage with consumers about the provenance of the food they were sampling. A supporting map on the NFU Cymru stand helped to demonstrate the small radius where the produce handed out on the day had been reared and sourced from. Those who enjoyed what they had tasted were then able to scan a QR code which signposted them to a webpage providing video accounts from the producers themselves, as well as signposting visitors to locations where they could buy the food they had sampled.
Positive support from the public
NFU Cymru Deputy President Paul Williams said: “While the strange sight of model cows, sheep, chickens and pigs on the seafront is what initially piqued people's attention, it is clear that the quality of the produce and the opportunity to learn more about its provenance was what kept people on the stand. It's been encouraging that so many of the people we have spoken to today have been fascinated by the work of Welsh farmers and where their food comes from. The support we've had from the public here in Llandudno has been unanimously positive and events of this nature are a fantastic method for the industry to directly engage with its end customers.
"Given that I farm nearby in Llanwrst, it makes me immensely proud that we have been able to serve up such a variety of high quality, delicious and nutritious food for people that has been produced right on their doorstep. We are extremely grateful to those local businesses that have flown the flag for North Wales and have supported us. This event has truly shown the value of the supply chain working together to promote our industry."