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Andrew Nelson,left, and Emyr Jones[/caption]
The crucial importance of good quality grassland in future food production was stressed by Farmers' Union of Wales president Emyr Jones when he attended this week’s Dairy Event and Livestock Show at the NEC in Birmingham.
"It has long been recognised by farmers that grass is the cheapest livestock feed on farms and this still remains the case, particularly for grazed grass," said Mr Jones, who won the British Grassland Society's national grassland management competition in 2008.
Congratulating this year's winner of the competition - Andrew Nelson from Castle Douglas in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland - during the Dairy Event, Mr Jones said: "Whatever production system is used, a well-managed sward will make a vital and cost-effective contribution to milk or meat production.
"Grass is a quality feed that can help dairy farmers achieve 4,000 litres plus from forage.
"Any attempt to reduce the amount of quality grassland on our farms under the latest CAP reform proposals must be vigorously opposed for the sake of food security.
"In the hill farms of Wales growing grass for grazing plays a crucial part of running our family farms profitably and it should be recognised that fertilisers are now creating a much smaller carbon footprint as suppliers make large-scale environmental improvements to their products," Mr Jones added.
Judges of the BGS competition, sponsored by DLF-Trifolium and GrowHow UK, said Mr Nelson shone out as an excellent grassland manager with clear goals and evidence of achieving them.