A Food Bill for Wales – a growing need

At a time when food security is at the top of the agenda in political settings, livestock markets, the kitchen table and beyond, forward thinking Member of the Senedd for Monmouthshire, Peter Fox MS, introduces a Food Bill that will shape a much needed food strategy for Wales along with other innovative suggestions that can only strengthen and improve our food security.

The appalling developments in Ukraine this year, the breadbasket of Europe, will have serious consequences on our food supply in terms of costs and availability of some raw ingredients, for both human and livestock consumption, and we are undoubtedly under-prepared for events such as this. We are far too dependent on other countries. Whilst we can't produce all our food and energy, we could be more self-sufficient than the 60% or so that we currently are.

We are of course in a climate change emergency, but we are also in a food and energy crisis too. The Countryside Alliance has campaigned positively about tree planting to combat climate, change stressing the need for planting to be the right tree in the right place. We have strongly opposed the purchase of good agricultural land by the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales to carpet plant trees. As a nation, we are not in a position right now to lose valuable agricultural land used to grow our food to large forestry planted on mass. We must also ensure that landscape management has multiple benefits for improving biodiversity in Wales, and that the farming, gamekeeping and angling sectors are in prime positions to make valuable contributions, as many in those sectors already do.

As the winter months approach and energy costs soar to unprecedented levels, we will undoubtedly see the general public become even more dependent on food banks and charitable support as they navigate through the next few months and beyond. People will have to make choices and cheaper, possibly less-nutritious, meals will be prepared in favour of those that are healthier but would tend to cost a few pounds more. This will have far reaching consequences in years to come for our health service.

The Food Bill really will be beneficial across all sectors, not just ensuring a more sustainable food supply, less waste and more accountability, but for the health boards and our precious NHS, there are severe implications - they will inevitably carry the can for the food poverty situation we will see in the coming months.

There are elements of the proposals that the Countryside Alliance has championed and campaigned for in previous years, such as the procurement of local produce in local authorities across Wales and a call for country of origin labelling on all food products. We warmly welcome Peter Fox's Bill which goes above and beyond what anyone else has ever called for. The plethora of mechanisms that have been presented such as the Food Strategy, the establishment of a Wales Food Commission, Community Food Plans, tackling food waste and the suggestion for an annual assessment of the level of food production is innovative and achievable.

"Whilst the Food Bill will go through the necessary processes to become legislation, it can't come quick enough," stated the Countryside Alliance's Director for Wales, Rachel Evans. "I would urge every member of the Senedd to get behind this Bill and ensure that we are in a far better position than what we find ourselves in today. It is not a silver bullet that will eliminate our food security problems, but it will go a very long way in providing a far better future for food security, sustainability and self-sufficiency here in Wales."