The 2020s:
A Welsh
Never before have we entered a decade with so much uncertainty. The potent cocktail of Covid, climate change and political and economic uncertainty makes for a gut-wrenching backdrop to our daily lives. Louisa Harry-Thomas looks into where that leaves the future of Welsh food and drink. One Gwendraeth Valley farmer, whose business Charcutier won awards for its traditional meat products, and now develops technology for the alternative protein business, is Illtud Dunsford. His view is that, “we’re faced with two challenges - either to develop agricultural technology that can be commercialised at home and abroad, or to focus on environmental opportunities for land management.” He accepts that Wales has always been strong in niche and premium production and believes this will remain, but he also believes technology like cultured meat has a key role to play.
Matt Swarbrick and family, Henbant Farm The last decade saw us decipher multiple media messages, on issues from veganism to ethical farming, from #metoo to mental health, from buying local to Deliveroo. We discovered smashed avocados, craft gins, pop-ups and artisan bakeries. Sometimes the messages were confusing. Contradictory even. But despite all that, the fact is that Welsh food and drink is growing. Thanks to projects like Cywain, which helps food and drink start-ups thrive, the industry is now worth more than £7.4 billion. Exports are increasing and we have more than 17 protected food products, from Carmarthen ham to Conwy mussels. Wales’ perception as a quality food producer has never been stronger. Looking longer-term through the 2020s, David Morris, the Welsh Government’s Deputy Head of Food and Drink, says his main concern is trade. He told us: “One of the key challenges for us is whether we have a trade agreement with Europe. Forty per cent of our production in Wales is exported and, of that, 90 per cent goes to EU countries. For some sectors, like lamb and shellfish, if we don’t get a trade agreement there will be real concern.” Another issue, he points out, is Wales’ dependence on migrant labour, which means employers will need to continually work on developing and retaining staff or invest in automation.
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He explains: “We face a global population set to grow to nearly 10 billion by 2050. We already exceed a number of planetary boundaries in the production of food. Whatever our food future, we have to consider its global impact and the coming decade especially will pose significant challenges.” This is also the view of Dr Sarah Beynon of Bug Farm Foods in St David’s. She says: “Innovations in the food and farming sectors to reduce our impact on the environment are essential to help us feed a growing human population.” She believes that harnessing the protein from insects that can be farmed vertically on the by-products of other industries, with very low feed and water requirements, will help us develop sustainable, nutritious and delicious food innovations over the next 10 years and beyond. For Matt Swarbrick, ‘optimist and tea maker’, who farms 80 acres with his family at Henbant, near Caernarfon, he believes Welsh farming sits poised on the edge of something quite amazing. He explains: “The Welsh meat industry is probably the closest in the world to sustainable farming, because animals are primarily grass fed, farms are small, and we have a strong sense of community and remain relatively close to agriculture. Due to our small size we have the ability to change, if we have pride in what we do, stop using artificial fertilisers and go pasture fed.” His pasturefed beef sells out every time it becomes available, but interestingly, Matt prefers to use the term ‘regenerative’ farming to ‘sustainable’ because he says, regenerative practices don’t just maintain the status quo; they make everything stronger: they build soil health, biodiversity, communities and health. Another industry which believes the future is bright is the Welsh seafood industry, which has launched a ‘Port
