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The Usk Farmers' Market has hosted Brecon Brewing since the beginning of the pandemic, bringing orders and displaying an amazing range of beers and ciders to buy direct. Buster Grant has made apologies for not being able to attend the market on a few recent occasions, because of the extra work involved in readiness for the launch of two new beers: the WRU IPA and the WRU Gold, as an Official Partner of the Rugby Union of Wales. We are proud to be able to offer these for order and sale at the markets leading up to Christmas.

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NFU Food Standards Petition

Food standards petition

Do you want the food you eat to continue to be produced to the world leading standards you’ve come to expect, even in the toughest global circumstances?

The UK Government has the opportunity right now to put into law rules that prevent food being imported to the UK which is produced in ways that would be illegal here.

Sign our food standards petition and ask the UK Government to ensure all food imports are produced to the same high standards as British farmers.

Over 1 million have signed the petition 

Jamie Oliver

3 June at 12:16 · 

Dear Boris Johnson,

I hope you’re well and your family is safe.

I write this letter because I believe you’re about to seriously undermine public health and unpick the delicate patchwork quilt of farmers and food producers that are the backbone of this country. While we’ve all been focussed on the fallout of this dreadful pandemic, most people reading this probably won't know that you’ve whipped your MPs to vote down the Agriculture Bill amendments that would have maintained our British food and animal welfare standards for future trade deals and imports.

We could be about to open the floodgates to a whole raft of low-quality food that would normally be illegal in the UK. Chlorinated chicken is just the tip of the iceberg. We’re talking about genetically modified food, stuffing animals full of hormones and antibiotics, banned pesticides that kill our bees, and an avalanche of foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar. What's more, we’ll be threatening the future of our farmers and food producers, who – despite extraordinary challenges – have worked so hard to keep us fed throughout the COVID crisis.

Boris, it’s in your power to map out an intelligent structure where we maintain our high standards but also retain the ability to strike trade deals that are good for the economy. In my opinion, some of the biggest emerging economies right now are hungry for a trusted and safe food supply, and this is where Britain can flourish. Brand Britain and its wealth of food producers are already perfectly placed to over deliver, but if food standards are weakened, a race to the bottom will ensue, and I believe that’s a race we will lose. Public health will be compromised, and our ability to export quality, trusted product will diminish.

We shouldn’t need reminding that COVID-19 most likely originated in the food chain. This crisis has definitely made us all stop and think a bit more about what we eat, where our food comes from and how it affects our bodies. The association between high standards, food safety, animal welfare, ethics, traceability and sustainability has never been more important. These matters affect us all, every day.

Boris, I know you need to lead in a way that allows your teams to do their job when it comes to trade deals. I presume that you voted down the amendment to give you a blank sheet of paper in order to get deals done quickly. Of course we want trade, but not at any cost. Having standards – in law – will actually strengthen your hand in negotiations as we move forward. I believe that you have it in you to find the right balance. What looks like a simple piece of legislation will mark you in history either as a guardian to the land and its prosperity - or as someone that opened Pandora’s box to the quick erosion of the UK food and farming industries.

This is a pivotal moment, and an opportunity for us to rebuild a stronger and better food system. If it turns out that producers from other countries can make and sell us high-quality food to British standards at a cheaper price than we can produce it ourselves, then fair play to them. Of course we need to be flexible and we need to be open to trading with both old friends and new. But ultimately we should be striving to push trade partners’ standards up, not negotiating our own down. As those critical trade negotiations heat up, we must ensure that we’ve learned our lesson from this pandemic.

The COVID crisis has highlighted the need for us to simplify our food system so we can get to a place where we are less reliant on imports. The UK is blessed with some of the best food producers in the world, something we should value and protect. Yet we currently produce only 53% of our own veg and 16% of our own fresh fruit. Our climate is perfectly suited to growing produce, so we could easily grow more on our doorstep, not only for ourselves, but for export, too. And producing more fruit and veg here would of course be better for the planet too.

Boris – I urge you to take a fresh approach to the Agriculture Bill. Only you have the power to set us on the right path. Only you have the power to get all those MPs to vote for the amendment (and please press the right voting button this time, Rishi).

This Bill should be about championing the UK’s high standards in food safety and traceability, animal welfare and care for our environment. It should ensure that British farmers and food producers can continue to evolve and to deliver sustainable, healthy food without having to worry about being unfairly undercut.

I know you have Britain’s best interests at heart, Prime Minister, but true democracy cannot rely on one man or woman’s word – it requires the assurance of a lasting legal framework that interrogates and scrutinises the decisions that affect British businesses and public health.

We only have a few days to get this right ahead of the next critical debate in the House of Lords on the 10th of June. Hopefully the public will already be writing letters to their local MPs to voice their concerns.

This is a unique opportunity for you, as Prime Minister, to demonstrate real leadership and reshape our food system for the better. It’s an opportunity to support all those key workers who’ve ensured we were able to put a meal on our tables throughout this crisis. An opportunity to allow the UK to set the standard for sustainable food production, and – crucially – to put public and child health at the true heart of government.

Good-quality food should be accessible to everyone, but having campaigned about child health for the best part of 20 years now, I am incredibly concerned about the impact that bad trade deals could have on our children. Our kids will be the most vulnerable if our markets are flooded with unhealthy foods high in fat, salt and sugar.

We need to put our children’s health first. Right now, more than ever, we need our kids to grow up strong and healthy, ready to face whatever life throws at them. We’ve just seen, for example, that having obesity or being overweight has made people more vulnerable to COVID-19. We absolutely must give our kids the best possible chance of making healthy choices.

Boris, as you’ve rightly said yourself, we owe it to our future generations to build back better. One in eight jobs in the UK is in food supply. This Agriculture Bill is a critical first opportunity to help the British economy bounce back and to support thousands of small family businesses, while also protecting our health and our countryside. Prime Minister, please take that opportunity and reassure us that food standards won’t be compromised.

SIGN THE PETITION HERE: www.campaigns.nfuonline.com/page/56262/petition/1…

Cardiff University Dr Ludivine Petetin, argues for a radical rethink about our food supply chains.

See the BBC artcle here

Coronavirus: Food supply chains 'need a rethink'

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

The way we buy and sell food should be reviewed after the coronavirus crisis, an academic has said.

Dr.Ludivine Petetin, from Cardiff University, said changes in global markets could lead to a worldwide food shortage in the coming months.

Last week, the Farmers Union of Wales said there was an "urgent need to safeguard domestic food security".

Dr. Petetin said the weaknesses of the current "just in time" delivery system had been exposed by the crisis.

• Supermarkets sent list of Welsh people 'shielding'
• 'Bare cupboards' as food bank use rises in pandemic

In the build-up and immediate aftermath of the coronavirus lockdown, there were shortages of items such as pasta, rice and toilet paper in supermarkets.

Dr. Petetin said: "The problems is, as soon as you have a disruption in the supply chain this has an impact on the availability of food on the shelves."

She said problems could get worse in the coming months as a result of a change of export policies in other countries, citing the example of Cambodia and Vietnam banning exports of rice in order to feed their local populations.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Image caption Vietnam and Cambodia have banned exports of rice

"Of course we still see rice on the shelves at the moment, but in a few months time we may start to see the consequences of having these restrictions placed," she said.

"Those countries have done this to ensure stability in their countries so that people are food secure but, in the medium to short term, this could lead to food shortages for us and a food crisis worldwide."

She added this could result in increased food prices, which would affect the vulnerable.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Image captionSupermarket shelves were stripped of essential items as the pandemic reached the UK

Dr. Petetin said buying food from local suppliers could be the answer to food shortages after lockdown ends and she wants policy makers to reflect this in the future.

"Buying local is really important," she said. "It reduces food miles, [it has a better] environmental impact, it also involves less processing, so food is more nutritious.

"What the crisis is showing is how resilient small shops and small family farms are, and I think this is something for the farming community to be proud of.

"They are diversifying, but they need to be supported and at the moment when coming out of the [EU] Common Agricultural Policy, and Wales is looking at its future vision for its agriculture, it's important to put an emphasis on small family farms."

You can hear more on this story on the Country Focus podcast on BBC Sounds