Speaking at the conference, held at the Nantyffin Hotel, Llandissilio on Thursday 19 January, Edward Morgan, Group CSR Manager provided members with a detailed overview of how Castell Howell Foods has developed as a business, as well as highlighting the company’s guiding principles.
The business
He explained that the firm was founded in 1988 by a single family with one farm and one lorry, but over the years the business has flourished and in 2023 the company operates from six sites with 180 lorries. The company has over 5,000 customers and 14,000 products, making it a major player in the Welsh food supply chain.
During his speech, Edward Morgan highlighted the importance that Castell Howell Foods places on the sustainability credentials of Welsh agriculture and the increasing interest that customers are taking in the carbon cost of the food they consume.
Educating the next generation
Edward Morgan also stated that he felt there was an opportunity for Castell Howell Foods to work with NFU Cymru, and partners, to engage with school children and educate them about the importance of nutritious, locally sourced food. He emphasised that engagement with pupils should also encompass the environmental, economic, social and cultural importance of food production in Wales.
The Welsh food and farming sector is part of an £8.5 billion industry employing a quarter of a million people.
Picking up from Edward Morgan’s presentation, NFU Cymru President Aled Jones told members that the Welsh food and farming sector is part of an £8.5 billion industry employing a quarter of a million people. He highlighted that it was in the interests of the whole Welsh food and farming sector to work together to continue this success story. During his address, Aled Jones also updated members on the progression of the Agriculture (Wales) Bill and told members that NFU Cymru has lobbied hard to stress that food production must be an integral component of this new legislation. Mr Jones also updated members on the union’s work around the proposed Sustainable Farming Scheme, bovine TB and water quality.
Award presentation
The county conference also saw the NFU Cymru Pembrokeshire county branch present the W Rees Owen Memorial Award, an annual award to a young person from Pembrokeshire studying for a qualification in agriculture. The award, along with a £50 prize, was presented to Sara Davies of Fferm Glanyfer in Crosswell, who is currently in the first year of a two-year Level 3 apprenticeship in agriculture at Coleg Sir Gar’s Gelli Aur campus.
Recommending Sara for the award Liz Bowes, Curriculum Head for Land Based Studies at Coleg Sir Gar, said Sara was a ‘proactive student who always puts 110% into her studies’ while also running her own cake making business, ‘SaraBaraJam’.