Audiences at a sustainable food and drink event held on Anglesey heard that economic and social sustainability were just as important as environmental sustainability in the Welsh beef and sheep sector.
The panel was part of the first Gwyl Fwyd Egni | Egni Food Festival which took place at M-Sparc and aimed to celebrate and highlight sustainability and innovation in the Welsh food and drink industry. The festival aimed to improve visitor access to and awareness and Welsh food and drink products and encourage Welsh hospitality businesses to source more local food and drink.
John Richards, Producer and Processor Support Lead at Hybu Cig Cymru- Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), told audiences at the Gwyl Fwyd Egni | Egni Food Festival on Saturday 5th October that whilst environmental sustainability was important, ensuring the sustainability of Welsh farms as viable and profitable businesses was also crucial.
Speaking as part of the panel, Mr Richards explained: “When we hear the term sustainability we often immediately think of environmental sustainability but we also really need to consider the economic and social sustainability of farms and wider rural communities also. Ensuring that Welsh farm businesses are profitable and financially sustainable is crucial going forward.”
When asked more about environmental sustainability, Mr Richards explained: “Welsh farmers produce high-quality food and start from a strong baseline. Of course, there is room for improvement but with our practices, landscape and climate we come from a strong starting point.”
When asked about good practice examples within the red meat sector in Wales, Mr Richards commented: “I could take you to any farm in Wales and show you examples of good practice; there is excellent practice right across Wales. We can make improvements by ensuring that excellent practice is delivered at every single stage of production and processing right to the end consumer.”
The panel was chaired by Dr Eifiona Thomas Lane from Bangor University’s School of Environment and Natural Sciences and was examining sustainability and innovation within the Welsh food and drink sector. Joining Mr Richards on the panel was Distillery Manager Sam Foster from Aber Falls Distillery and Dr Julie Webb from Mor Ni Gwynedd who provided insights into the seafood and beverage sectors in Wales and what they were doing to achieve enhanced sustainability.
Dr Eifiona Thomas Lane summarized the panel by saying: “Many of the products we produce here in Wales, such as PGI Welsh Lamb, PGI Welsh Beef, Welsh seafood and Aber Falls spirits are high quality, premium products. There is a duty and expectation that premium products should lead the way in terms of sustainable and ethical production and it has been great to hear more about that here today.”
