Yesterday (8 March 2010) the National Council of Women of Great Britain discussed the importance of agricultural production in the UK and some of the current challenges facing the industry at a day long seminar hosted in Stroud. 
Kicking off the day’s proceedings was the opening address from Councillor John Hudson of Stroud District Council. Mr Hudson, whose passion for food and farming stems from his early days at catering college and subsequently as a chef, outlined the importance of farming within the region. He focused on farming’s important role in Stroud producing quality foods and as a local employer.
Ionwen Lewis, previous President of the Women’s Food and Farming Union and Welsh farmer for over 50 years, followed on to present the stark facts about a growing population’s demands for food. She warned that the UK had recently experienced a credit crunch and didn’t want the future to hold a global food crunch. She told the audience she would like to see Westminster recognising the importance of agriculture in the UK and delivering policy that is to the benefit of food production.
Veterinary Surgeon Dr John Gallagher then spoke to the packed room about the impacts of Bovine TB on cattle farming in the UK. The room gasped at the figures highlighting the depth of the problem in the South West region that almost all of Devon is currently affected by TB.
They were then disturbed to see graphic images of the disease’s catastrophic affect on both badger and cattle populations. He suggested that the Government’s rule out of a cull was likely made for political rather than sound scientific reasons. He concluded that no effective action at the moment is simply unacceptable and the situation will only get worse.
Local farmer and Councillor Norman Smith then talked through the importance of science and technology in farming and showed the audience a film of his robotic milking parlour in action. The audience were amazed by the technology but disappointed to hear that few dairy farmers have been able to reinvest in such technologies because of unsustainable prices received at the farm gate.
National Council of Women President Sheila Eaton closed the event, concluding that all issues surrounding food production and farming were very much of importance to their members and encouraged all delegates to get behind the NFU’s Why Farming Matters campaign.
No comments have been made.