The Farmers Union of Wales has stepped up its campaign to protect local producers by once more appealing to government and retailers to recognise the growing pressures the industry faces from the ongoing Russian war on Ukraine.
Following an initial letter to Welsh Government last month, FUW president Glyn Roberts has again appealed to members of the Senedd to take action in order to protect farmers and consumers.
In response to his initial letter, in which the Union requested a roundtable meeting with them and other stakeholders to discuss such issues and possible actions, the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd Lesley Griffiths stated that the Welsh Government did not believe such a meeting was appropriate.
In his letter of reply, Mr Roberts said: We are acutely concerned at the failure of both the Welsh and UK Governments to engage with the supply chain early on in order to explore immediate actions that will help mitigate problems that are having an impact now, and will continue to do so for the remainder of the year and at least into 2023.
Such impacts are affecting and will continue to affect not only farmers, but also consumers, and this is therefore an issue not only for the food and farming industry but also for the Welsh and UK population as a whole.
This latest correspondence comes just days after Mr Roberts contacted a number of the UKs largest retailers asking for their support when dealing with food producers struggling to cope with rising input costs exacerbated by the Ukraine situation.
Mr Roberts asked buyers to consider issues such as animal feed, red diesel and fertiliser costs in their dealings with farmers, asking them directly to offer a fair price for goods. He also pressed them to continue to defend UK food security by standing by their commitments to higher quality food produced domestically rather than poorer quality imports, particularly in light of trade deals reached and being negotiated with countries that have far lower standards than here in the UK.
While Mr Roberts acknowledged that UK farmgate milk prices have increased by around 20 per cent over the past 12 months and deadweight lamb and beef prices continue to trend significantly above the five year averages, he cautioned that increasing pressures from the protracted conflict in Ukraine could pose dire consequences for the industry.
