Food and Farming

We are facing a critical time for food production and farming. Action now could not only make a difference to people in Wales but can also have a positive environmental impact worldwide.

Meat and dairy farming worldwide is responsible for around 18% of the global climate-changing gases, partly because animals in factory farms are fed large amounts of protein to make them grow quickly. Most of this comes from soy which is shipped from South America. Big business is cutting down rainforests to grow it, which is why we are calling for action at the international level to stop rainforest destruction for soy plantations.

Farming in Wales

But food produced in Wales is among the most sustainable in the world. It is widely acknowledged that grazing livestock on land unsuitable for arable crops can be a sustainable and productive use of otherwise marginal land that can bring benefits to biodiversity.

Organically farmed land accounts for nearly 8% of the total (more than elsewhere in the UK), and we're GM-free. The onset of severe climate change is going to make it increasingly difficult to farm in much of England, making farming in Wales comparably attractive - and profitable.

Genetically modified (GM)

GM is bad for the environment, has done nothing to tackle world hunger, and may well be bad for our health. The possibility of GM crops being grown in Wales is a seemingly ever-present threat which makes maintaining Wales' GM-free status an important issue.

For more information on GM crops and its big business backers, visit the GM Free Cymru site.

Local produce

Far less of the food we buy is now produced locally, largely as a result of the dominance of supermarkets. Not only has this increased carbon emissions, but because products are generally delivered to processing and distribution centers in England, there has been an impact on employment in the food industry in Wales.

We are calling for a level playing field for local independent traders to compete with supermarkets.