This year’s NFU Cymru Conference, titled ‘Welsh farming: Planning for change’, will take place on Thursday 3rd November at the Metropole Hotel, Llandrindod Wells.
Key themes
The main themes for this year’s event will be economics, sustainability challenges within the supply chain, nutrition and the next generation of Welsh farmers.
NFU Cymru Director John Mercer said: “We’re really excited to be able to host our in-person conference again for the first time since 2019. This event had steadily grown to one of the most well-respected events of its kind in Wales attracting top speakers year on year – and 2022 will be no different.
Significant change
“The farming landscape has changed immeasurably since our last in-person event due to a wide range of factors including, but not limited to, the Coronavirus pandemic, the war in Ukraine, huge hikes in input costs and the cost of living. We are, of course, also going through a period of significant shift in agricultural policy here in Wales as we transition to a new post-CAP support system.
"With so much change afoot, this year’s conference theme of ‘Planning for change’ will see a line-up of experts from the agricultural sector, wider supply chain and the economic sphere provide their insight on current events and what they may mean for Welsh farming in the future."
Agenda
|
10.00 - 10.25 |
Opening address:Aled Jones, President, NFU Cymru To include the NFU Cymru/Wynnstay Sustainable Agriculture Award presentation |
|
10.25 - 10.55 |
Political address:Lesley Griffiths MS, Minister for Rural Affairs, Welsh Government |
|
10.55 - 11.45 |
Economic outlook:A tug of war – fiscal policy loosens as monetary policy tightens Mark Berrisford-Smith, Chief Economist, HSBC Chair: Aled Jones, President, NFU Cymru |
|
11.45 - 12.40 |
Sustainability within the Welsh supply chain:Sophie Throup, Head of Agriculture and Sustainability, Morrisons Huw Thomas, Managing Director, Puffin Produce Edward Morgan, Group CSR Manager, Castell Howell Foods Chair: John Mercer, Director, NFU Cymru |
|
12.40 - 13.30 |
Nutritional benefits of animal-source foods:Professor Alice Stanton, Professor, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Director Human Health, Devenish Nutrition Chair: Dylan Morgan, Head of Policy, NFU Cymru |
|
13.30 - 14.15 |
Lunch |
|
14.15 - 15.05 |
Sustainability challenges:How do we move beyond carbon to look at the whole picture? Professor Jude Capper, Professor of Sustainable Beef and Sheep Production, Harper Adams University Chair: Abi Reader, Deputy President, NFU Cymru |
|
15.05 - 15.55 |
The next generation:How they are developing a sustainable future Erin McNaught, Student & Young Farmer Ambassador, NFU Cymru Carys Jones, Next Generation Group member, NFU Cymru Bryn Perry, Next Generation Group member, NFU Cymru Chair: Rachel Lewis-Davies, National Environment and Land Use Adviser, NFU Cymru |
|
15.55 - 16.00 |
Summary and close:Abi Reader, Deputy President, NFU Cymru |
Meet the speakers
Aled has previously held a variety of positions across the industry, including holding the post of Chairman of milk recording company Cattle Information Services (CIS) for seven years and being a trustee of Holstein UK for eight years.
Lesley Griffiths MS
Lesley was first elected to the National Assembly for Wales in May 2007 and served on several Assembly Committees.
She has held a number of Ministerial posts in Welsh Government since December 2009 as Minister for Science, Innovation and Skills, Health and Social Services, Local Government and Government Business, Communities and Tackling Poverty and across a range of Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs portfolios.
Following the Senedd election in May 2021, Lesley was appointed Minister for Rural Affairs, North Wales and Trefnydd.
Mark Berrisford-Smith, Head of Economics, HSBC
Having studied Economics at Sussex and London Universities, Mark is now Head of Economics for HSBC’s commercial banking business in the UK.
He is responsible for advising the Bank in the UK and its business customers on developments in the British and global economies. In the past few years, his work has focused on explaining the mechanics and economic consequences of Brexit and the COVID pandemic. He is also actively involved in explaining to HSBC’s customers the economics of the transition to Net Zero.
He undertakes an intensive programme of public speaking at conferences and seminars in order to ensure that HSBC’s commercial customers in the UK are as well informed as possible about the issues arising from Brexit and COVID.
Sophie Throup, Head of Agriculture and Sustainability, Morrisons
Sophie joined Morrisons in November 2017, following 10 years in the veterinary sector running research and training programmes.
She is a non-exec director for AFS (Red Tractor), a steering committee member for the Food Industry Initiative on Antimicrobials and part of Defra’s Animal Health and Welfare Pathway sub-group on legislation.
Sophie was also a driving force in setting up the School of Sustainable Food and Farming at Harper Adams University, to help set research, training and innovative support for current and future farmers on the path to net zero and sustainable farming.
Huw Thomas, Managing Director, Puffin Produce
Huw is a dairy and potato farmer’s son from Pembrokeshire. He has spent thirty years in agriculture related roles throughout the UK.
He spent ten years as a research scientist at Cambridge University’s Department of Genetics. He then worked in the Welsh Development Agency / Welsh Government Agri-Food Strategy team. He also spent three years as Head of Strategy and Market Information at DairyCo.
Huw returned to Pembrokeshire to run Puffin Produce 12 years ago. In that time, Puffin has grown rapidly but sustainably. The turnover has grown from £9m to £30m and employee numbers have increased from 45 to 200.
Edward Morgan, Group CSR Manager, Castell Howell Foods
Edward is Group CSR Manager for Castell Howell Foods, and has been with the company since 2001. Born and raised on a livestock farm near Carmarthen he has worked in the food industry throughout his career.
Tasked with developing sustainable supply chains he recognises the importance of collaboration between business, unions, schools, academia and stakeholders. How will policy and on-farm decisions influence purchasing choices taken by caterers? Likewise how will choices taken by public and private sector caterers impact agriculture and communities in Wales?
He is trustee of Cynnal Cymru, and Chair of the South West Wales Regional Learning & Skills Partnership.
Professor Alice Stanton, Professor, RCSI and Director Human Health, Devenish Nutrition
Alice is a clinician-scientist. She is currently Professor in Cardiovascular Pharmacology at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and Director of Human Health at Devenish Nutrition.
She served on the Committee developing “Ireland’s Agri-food Strategy to 2030” and as an Assembly Member for the Horizon Europe Cancer Mission. She has delivered many lectures concerning evidence-based healthy diets from sustainable food systems and has authored in excess of 140 peer-reviewed published papers. She was recently lead author on a letter, published in The Lancet, which robustly questions the reliability of the Global Burden of Disease 2019 collaborators’ estimates of deaths attributable to unprocessed red meat.
Professor Jude Capper, Professor of Sustainable Beef and Sheep Production, Harper Adams University
Jude has two main roles – she is the ABP Chair and Professor of Sustainable Beef and Sheep Production at Harper Adams University and is also an independent Livestock Sustainability Consultant. Jude's research focuses on the improving the sustainability and resilience of ruminant production systems.
She is Treasurer of the National Beef Association; a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Butchers and holds Route Panel Chair and Vice-Chair posts at the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. She is extremely active on social media, primarily aiming to de-bunk myths relating to livestock production.
Erin McNaught, Student & Young Farmer Ambassador, NFU Cymru
Erin is a beef and sheep farmer and award-winning sheep dog handler.
She is currently taking over her family farm in North Wales, whilst also studying a degree in Geography and Environmental Science. Her pride and joy are her sheepdogs, this is a passion that has gained her many exciting media opportunities. She also has a keen interest in Pedigree Blue-faced Leicester sheep.
Erin is an NFU 2022 Student and Young Farmer Ambassador and throughout the programme she has gained a detailed and beneficial understanding of all aspects of the agricultural industry.
Carys Jones, Next Generation member, NFU Cymru
Carys has a degree in Rural Enterprise & Land Management from Harper Adams University. Following five years working with Savills (UK) Ltd as a Rural Chartered Surveyor, she joined her family dairy farming business, Larchwood Holsteins in March 2019 and was made a partner of the business in 2021. Larchwood Holsteins is home to 160 pedigree Holstein cows and 200 followers, supplying milk to Marks & Spencers.
In the last year, Carys has competed at UK Dairy Expo, the Royal Welsh Show and UK Dairy Day, winning Championship titles.
Carys completed the RABDF Entrepreneurs in Dairying Course in 2020, was awarded the RWAS Oxford Farming Conference Scholarship in 2019 and has recently been appointed an NFU Schools Ambassador.
Bryn Perry, Next Generation Member, NFU Cymru
Bryn is a 34-year-old first generation tenant farmer from Pembrokeshire. He has a degree in Business Management and came to agriculture later in life after moving to Wales in 2017.
Bryn started on an organic dairy farm, gaining four years’ experience, before securing a council farm tenancy. He now runs a flock of 80 milking ewes milking once a day from grass. He also runs a small herd of breeding Alpacas alongside the replacement ewe lambs.
Milk is processed into cheese and ice cream by their brand Ewenique Dairy. They recently launched Wales' first and only Ewe Whey Vodka under Ewenique Spirits who were recently shortlisted for the Innovation Award at the Wales Food & Drink Awards.
Abi Reader, Deputy President, NFU Cymru
Goldsland Farm is home to 200 milking cows, 150 sheep, 90 beef cattle and 120 acres of arable. Abi is a co-founder of Cows on Tour, an Open Farm Sunday host and a former NFU Cymru Wales Woman Farmer of the Year.
Register today
NFU Cymru Conference is open to all NFU Cymru members and is FREE to attend, but those wishing to attend must book in advance of the event.
Members can register to attend this event by simply clicking below and logging in to the site or by calling the NFU Cymru office on 01982 554200.
NFU Cymru Conference - Welsh farming: Planning for change