The Assembly Member for Montgomeryshire, Russell George, has sponsored an event in the National Assembly for Wales to celebrate the quality and taste of Welsh food.
Hosted by NFU Cymru, the event was also attended by the acclaimed Michelin-starred chef, Stephen Terry, who was full of praise for local, high quality Welsh produce, explaining why he chooses to use it at his restaurant, The Hardwick, in Abergavenny.
Following the event, Mr George, who is also the Shadow Minister for Agriculture & Rural Affairs, said:
“Welsh farmers are without question responsible for producing some of the best quality and most delicious food in the world.
“I was therefore delighted to be able to sponsor the NFU Cymru event which provided a fantastic showcase for the Welsh food industry.
“It has been a very tough and uncertain period for the dairy, beef and lamb industries in particular and with Welsh producers doing so much good work right across Wales, it is now essential that politicians in the Assembly, remove red tape and create the right economic conditions for the industry to thrive and reach its full potential.
“I welcome the Welsh Government’s ambition to see a 30% growth in the farming and food industry by 2020 but in order to make this a reality, there are a number of levers at its disposal to help support the supply chain, build export markets, support efficiency and boost sustainability.
“For example, there are measures which can be taken to improve the proportion of public procurement for Welsh produce and improve food labelling to ensure that genuine competition can occur. Supermarkets can also play their part in dedicating a prominent section of floor space for the promotion of high quality Welsh produce.”