The Farmers’ Union of Wales is putting its money where its mouth is by sourcing the food served in the pavilion during the Royal Welsh Show (July 20 – 23) from within Wales.
“Last year we welcomed the commitment made by prime minister David Cameron and environment secretary Liz Truss to boost public food procurement by central government and in line with the on-going FUW campaign to keep food miles down, have ensured that the food produce served in our pavilion is sourced from within Wales,” said FUW president Glyn Roberts.
The plan for public procurement, which was announced during the Royal Welsh Show 2014, is worth £400 million for British farming and will see central government committing to buy fresh, locally sourced, seasonal food from 2017.
Speaking ahead of the show FUW president Glyn Roberts said: “Local procurement brings benefits for farmers across the UK and we will continue to encourage all public bodies and of course supermarkets, to follow suit.
“The FUW has been lobbying for precisely this type of commitment ever since I have been involved with the union and it’s about time that more is done in this area to help secure the future of the industry.
“It is in all our interests to ensure that all public bodies use locally sourced and seasonal food to maintain a prosperous and thriving economy and that those selling food produce source it from within the UK and as close to home as possible.”