Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru | National Assembly for Wales
Y Pwyllgor Newid Hinsawdd, Amgylchedd a Materion Gwledig | Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee
Ymchwiliad i ddyfodol Polisïau Amaethyddol a Datblygu Gwledig yng Nghymru | Inquiry into the Future of Agricultural and Rural Development Policies in Wales
AAB 26
Ymateb gan Prifysgol De Cymru
Evidence from University of South Wales
1. What are the fundamental outcomes we want to see from agricultural, land management and rural development policies?
1.1. Food and agriculture strategies aligned to help deliver the commitments of public bodies, and fundees, as set out in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 (Welsh Government, 2015a).
1.2. Agriculture, land management and rural development linked to improved health & well-being of present and future generations.
1.3. More diversification, resilience and sustainable production systems, particularly fruit and vegetable production.
1.4. A move beyond production of commodities for export to incorporate more foods grown and processed in Wales for benefit of the Welsh population based on healthy sustainable dietary recommendations.
2. What lessons can we learn from current and previous policies? What about polices elsewhere?
2.1. There is a disconnect between food and agriculture policy at present and a degree of silo working as highlighted by Marsden et al (Marsden, Morgan and Morley, 2016). We need more integrated agri-food policy and working, with a broad range of stakeholders, including researchers, public health professionals and Non Governmental Organisations.
2.2. Although the current food strategy ‘Food for Wales, Food from Wales 2010-2020’ (Welsh Assembly Government, 2010) is broad and addresses many sustainability concerns, the Food and Drink Action Plan (Welsh Government, 2014) mainly concerns ‘Food from Wales’ and has a narrow emphasis on production and export. Wales needs to add a new emphasis on ‘Food for Wales’ and this needs to be linked to agricultural policy.
3. To what extent should Wales develop its own agricultural, land management and rural development polices or should it be part of a broader UK-wide policy and financial framework?
3.1. Wales should work with the other UK nations to ensure a co-ordinated agriculture, rural development and land use strategy. However, given the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act, Welsh Government have a duty, beyond that of the other UK nations, to ensure that the food system in Wales works for the well-being of present and future generations and as such should develop their own policy framework.
3.2. As an example a Wales Agri-Food and Nutrition Task Force could be established to look at ‘Food For Wales’. It could suggest clear policy vision and action for achieving healthy and sustainable diets for all and develop measures and targets to monitor progress.
3.2.1. Taking fruit and vegetables as an example, a new measure could be utilised called the Population Annual Fruit and Vegetable Requirement- PAFVR (current public health policy of consumption scaled up for the population). This could be adopted and used to benchmark and monitor relative availability, production and consumption of fruit and vegetables in Wales.
3.2.2. The Wales PAFVR at present is 654,909 t but Wales only grows fruit and vegetables on 0.1% (1694 ha) of it’s total agricultural land (Welsh Government, 2015b), enough to supply only an estimated 5% of the PAFVR.
3.2.3. Wales has the potential to develop fruit and vegetable production and supply chains in line with the need for increased consumption. Only 2% of the total land in Wales would be needed to grow the current PAFVR and we know that ideally the population should be eating more than this (Food Foundation, 2016).
3.2.4. The Population Annual Fruit and Vegetable Requirement (PAFVR) is a measure that could be used in Wales to guide agri-food policy to help deliver more sustainable diets and drive the improvements in health and well-being that are needed and demanded by the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act.
Food Foundation 2016. Veg Facts: A briefing by the Food Foundation. London: The Food Foundation.
Statistical Publication Unit (2015b) Welsh Agricultural Statistics 2014 Cardiff:Welsh Government,. [Online]. Available at: http://gov.wales/docs/statistics/2015/151028-welsh-agricultural-statistics-2014-ency.pdf.
3.3.