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Stephen Crabb: “We must harvest the full economic potential of our food and farming industry”

Supporting the full spectrum of Wales’s farming and rural life will be a key factor in securing our future economic prosperity, Secretary of State for Wales Stephen Crabb said yesterday during a visit to the Royal Welsh Show (23 June).

The Llanelwedd showground was the backdrop for the announcement of the UK Government’s commitment to helping the food and farming sector bring an extra £7.4billion into the UK economy over the next five years.From the creation of a new UK-wide Food Innovation Hub to seeing more home-grown Welsh produce on the Protected Food Names roster, the measures aim to create more rural jobs and bring greater investment to Wales’ local communities.

To mark the announcement, the Secretary of State for Wales accompanied the Prime Minister, David Cameron on his second visit to the Royal Welsh Show in as many years. They met with a number of agriculture organisations to see the variety of Welsh products making their mark on supermarket shelves, bars and restaurants worldwide.

Secretary of State Stephen Crabb said:

Wales is home to some of the most pioneering food and farming businesses in the UK – firmly rooted in their communities but with that all-important global outlook.

It is crucial that we harvest the full economic potential of our Welsh rural businesses at home and overseas.

That’s why we’re breaking down trade barriers so farmers can export to new countries, and cutting red tape so they can get on with the business of farming rather than filling in paperwork.

Our £69million investment in superfast broadband is also now reaching homes and businesses in the hardest to reach parts of Wales making it easier for farmers to carry out their business and social transactions online.

This is all a part of our long term plan to foster a food and farming industry that continues to grow and creates jobs for the people of Wales.

NOTES TO EDITORS

The UK Government is working hard to back the farming industry and grow the economy in Wales by:

• Opening up new markets for exports
• Strengthening the role of the grocery code adjudicator
• Encouraging banks to help farmers during difficult times
• Continuing to press the EU for further action on food labelling
• Increasing the period over which farmers can average out their profits from two years to five from next April