NFU Cymru members in Clwyd heard from Sophie Throup, Head of Agriculture for Morrisons and John Richards, Industry Development and Relations Manager at Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC), at their annual county conference.
Conference-goers heard that the supermarket buys directly from 3,000 farmers and that direct relationships are important to them. She said that in the 31 stores here in Wales, they are trying to bring in local products from within a 30-mile radius of the store in order to celebrate the products Wales has to offer.
Sophie told members how Morrisons stock 100% British fresh meat, eggs and other produce where they can. She said they want to grow the opportunities for agriculture and that British farming really matters to their customers.
Sophie also touched upon the supermarket’s work during the Coronavirus pandemic, animal welfare, including their work with Red Tractor, and how when it comes to the environment, Morrisons believe it is about working and supporting farmers to optimise sustainable farming, and working together to reduce emissions and increase renewable energy.
Finally, Sophie said that Morrions is dedicated to British farmers, that they stand shoulder to shoulder with them and together we need to find opportunities.
John Richards spoke to conference-goers next and updated them on the way Coronavirus has affected lamb and beef sales and prices this year. He said that anyone who has sold lamb from June onwards would be happy as the price has held up well this year. He said that the supply chain worked together in order to provide support for the lamb market which has helped the price.
John said that the lockdown in March shows what can happen when there is a shock in the system, and the large drop in price was a combination of the lockdown and the driver lockdown on the continent. He said no-one was expecting France to have a full country lockdown and the lamb destined for the French markets had no home to go to.
Members were told that there has been a rise in people wanting to buy local and so there is a demand for lamb.
Moving on to beef, John discussed the carcass imbalance during April that caused big issues in the supply chain. He said there was a big increase in people buying mince and there was a substantial amount of prime meat being put into it, which caused a price drop. John said that the retailers deserve a big credit, as there was a concerted effort to support the higher value cuts. He said there was also a rise in support for UK production and that when consumers are shopping, they take note of the country-of-origin labelling. John added that the pandemic had put the red meat industry in a positive light with independent butchers supplying buy local messages.
Finally, John told members about the recent launch of HCC’s ‘The Welsh Way’ document which highlights the importance of red meat production to rural Wales, both economically and socially. He said we can’t just rely on the fact we do a good job of sustaining the environment, but we need to show we can, and will, improve. He said that whatever production method you’ve got, you can show the Welsh way is sustainable.
NFU Cymru President John Davies also updated members on the lobbying work the union has been undertaking.
NFU Cymru Clwyd County Chairman, Dewi Jones, said: “I would like to thank both Sophie, John and our President, John Davies, for joining us this year. While we weren’t able to meet up in person this year, it is great to hear about all the work that goes on behind the scenes within the supply chain.”
NFU Cymru would like to thank HSBC UK for sponsoring all 11 of this year’s virtual county conferences.