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Agricultural Policy

As the hon. Gentleman knows, we do not take any Plaid Cymru motions seriously. That said, the role of farming and food is crucial in stimulating the economic recovery. As the shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Wakefield (Mary Creagh), noted at the Oxford farming conference recently, agriculture and the food supply chain are important to food production and food security, as we face the long-term challenges of climate change, population growth, and increasing demands on our water and land resources. The success of Welsh farming and food is also vital to re-establishing economic growth—something that is worryingly absent from the Government’s strategy. I am pleased that my right hon. Friend the First Minister, Carwyn Jones, has, in contrast to the UK Government, recognised the economic importance of the food and farming sectors by moving responsibility for rural affairs to the Welsh Government’s Department for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science. One of the defining political issues of this century, as the Welsh Government recognise, is food. Food security is on the agenda as never before—globally—and it could be a source of conflict, along with water shortages, across the world in future. Employment in the manufacture of food and beverage products in Wales in 2010 was 19,500. That represents 15.4% of total employment in manufacturing in Wales—a significant number. Wales accounts for 5.5% of total UK employment in the manufacture of food products. We are home to fantastic brands such as Rachel’s Organic and Edwards of Conwy. I pay tribute to Patchwork of Ruthin, makers of some of the best pâté you will ever taste; it is now stocked in Harrods. [Laughter.] May I say that I do not know that personally? I do not recall shopping in Harrods. I think that that is more a shopping habit of the Secretary of State, with her lavish lifestyle. Halen Môn, in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Ynys Môn, produces the finest sea salt, apparently enjoyed by President Obama—what good taste he has. I hope that it will allow him to rub salt in the wounds of his right-wing Republican opponents in the coming presidential elections. What with award-winning produce from the Black Mountains Smokery, washed down with Gwynt y Ddraig cider from Pontypridd, and Claws Shellfish in Pembrokeshire, finished off with some Gorwydd cheese from Trethowan’s, Wales is not just the land of song, but the land of the finest food. That is around 7% gross value added to the UK economy, with 55,000 people employed. That is why we should applaud the Labour Welsh Government’s focus on food and fisheries. Their food strategy, ““Food for Wales, Food from Wales””, aims to support the sector, so that it grows still further in a sustainable and profitable manner, including by: providing business support and grant assistance to Welsh companies in the sector; improving Welsh food sector supply chains; encouraging public sector procurement of Welsh food and drink; supporting food festivals in Wales; driving the ““Wales the True Taste”” brand; and organising and hosting the annual ““Wales the True Taste”” food and drink awards.