Wales should become organic nation says Plaid Cymru

Plaid Cymru believe that Wales could be an organic food nation in a decade. The Welsh government is currently consulting on the support for Welsh farming after Brexit with proposals to put a new system in place by 2025.

Simon Thomas, the shadow cabinet secretary for energy, climate change and rural affairs, said:

“As a small country, Wales could emphasise its distinctiveness by selling itself as an organic food nation. A radical response is needed to the possibility of Brexit. We can use a new farm payment scheme to encourage and enable farmers to convert to organic farming.

“There also needs to be a strategic marketing campaign aimed at selling organic Welsh produce overseas and in the rest of the UK. The UK was the third biggest market for organic produce in 2015, which means that Wales could find a large, accessible market for organic goods, despite what the Brexit process throws at us.

“We know that every pound spent from the Rural Development Plan on organic produces £21 in trade for organics in Wales, bringing £140million into the economy of our nation every year. If we are unable to meet growing demand there is a risk that we could lose not only potential producers but also prominent Welsh organic companies who may choose to expand nearer their supply chain.”

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster spokesperson on Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Ceredigion MP Ben Lake added:

“Welsh agriculture and particularly livestock farms are heavily dependent on income from the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. While it is true to say that CAP has had its flaws, it has been very important to many Welsh farmers, and this must be acknowledged. In the short term ongoing financial support will be essential to sustain the agricultural sector in Wales.”

However, the Daily Post reports that farmers are unsure about the proposal with fears that it would ‘put all our eggs in one basket.’ A spokeswoman from the Farmers Union of Wales told the Daily Post that “Plans need to work in times of economic hardship as well as during the good times, and we know from our experience during the economic crisis at the end of the last decade that many organic markets were hit very hard.”

You can read Plaid Cymru’s report ‘Can Wales be 30% organic by 2030?

Find out more about the work Sustain is doing to secure a positive Brexit for food, farming and fishing, including how to tell your MP that you want a say in future trade deals