WHAT DID I HEAR AT BLAS CYMRU THIS WEEK?

In the week just ended, I spent 2 very interesting and enjoyable days at the Blas Cymru event - held just outside Newport at the International Conference Centre. This was well attended and for many people, it seemed as if they were just very pleased to be out and about and not locked up working from home.

The event itself is a combination of conference, seminars and trade show - with it being very much a “Who is Who” in the Welsh food and drink sector. A great opportunity over 2 days to meet some old friends – lots of them - and make some news ones too.

I had lots of conversations during the event and into the evening on the Wednesday, but some recurring themes kept coming back. Some of the most important ones to me seemed to be as follows:

• the sector in Wales is an important one with a revenue stream of some £7.5 billion, but of which only 10% is exported. A post Brexit world will see increased export opportunities in the future. These are essential for the future develepment of the industry in Wales
• it also contributes strongly to other areas of Welsh Government policy such as the Well Being of the Nation Act. The sector is also highly diverse - it ranges from individual farmers right up to multinational food and drink businesses
• the Welsh food and drink sector, in many cases, is strongly linked to the tourism industry and this is still a big opportunity area
• there is a huge drive to promote the sustainability of the Welsh food and drink industry and its credentials. COP 26 will highlight the need for this more than ever
• there is much more work to be done on investing in skills development, NPD and innovation to drive the industry forward. Labour issues remain a massive challenge for the food and drink industry, but these began well before Brexit and COVID
• there is also a big challenge in addressing issues such as food waste, packaging and logistics for UK and international supply chains
• COVID however has had a severe impact on the sector
• the Welsh agri food and drink sector will need to remain and increase its fundamental resilience to the sorts of supply chain shocks we have seen in the last 18 months or so
• besides economic growth, there is a huge aspiration for the creation of better, more responsible business and employment opportunities. The use of agri tech and advanced manufacturing technology can help change the image of the industry and attract new talent to it and provide for better skills development and job opportunities too
• the industry will thrive most readily by the development of the various sub sector clusters and then the development of genuine partnerships across the supply chain including farmers, food and drink processors, retailers and foodservice companies, those involved in education, training and skills development, the export sector, other industry stakeholders and the Welsh Government

This was a great 2 days. If you haven’t been before and you are the slightest bit involved with Welsh food and drink – you should attend the next one.

In the part of Promar I work for, some of our first projects were in Wales as far back as the late 1950s and early 1960s [I wasn't even yet at at primary school then, I hasten to add !].

 We are very interested in what happens in Wales, not least between ourselves and our parent company, we employ almost 100 people there. It’s stronghold for us  - and we see it staying that way. Understanding what’s really going on in the Principality - as you can by attending Blas Cymru - is one way of doing this.

Thank you Newport - and hwyl fawr - for now, but not for long, I hope.

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John is a Divisional Director at Promar International, the consulting arm of Genus plc. He has worked on a wide range of project in Wales covering horticulture, wine, seafood, dairy, beef, timber and a range of added value food and drink products. He has also worked in some 60 other markets around the world and is the current Chair of the City Food Lecture, held annually in London.