Janet Finch-Saunders AM/AC, Member for Aberconwy, today (March 31) praised the ‘selfless and hardworking’ Welsh farmers in their commitment to feed the nation throughout the COVID-19 health crisis. 

This week, NFU Cymru President John Davies wrote to politicians in Westminster and Cardiff Bay to assure them that Wales’ farmers were fully committed to keeping the nation fed, amid increased consumer demand for food. 

In her statement, Mrs Finch-Saunders says: 

"I wish to place on record my gratitude to our hardworking Welsh Farmers for their selfless dedication to feed the nation throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"Our agricultural heroes are working day and night to adjust to changing consumer demand, rapidly orientating to meet the immediate needs of our supermarkets and corner shops. 

“We must now remember to eat local. By backing our Welsh farmers – whether lamb or poultry, dairy or crop – we can financially support those who are working hardest to safeguard our nutritional wellbeing. 

“Today, I join with NFU Cymru to ask the Welsh Government to prioritise the delivery of all outstanding Direct Support and Rural Development plan payments, in order to help ease cash flow pressures on our farms. 

“Production cycles in agriculture are long and complex, exposing our cruicial farming sector to a volatile marketplace. We must stand ready to offer more support to those who work tirelessly to feed our families. 

ENDS 

[Photo by Stijn te Strake.]