As another large delegation of Welsh producers prepares to head off to the Brussels Seafood Global EXPO, Deputy Minister for Farming and Food, Rebecca Evans has today spoken of the importance of the seafood sector to our growth plans for the food industry in Wales.
Six companies are travelling to Brussels at the end of this month, all flying the flag for Welsh food and drink, to exhibit before more than 25,000 buyers and suppliers from 150 countries around the world.
The Deputy Minister said, “We know the quality of Welsh food and drink is up there with the best in the world, and having a presence at events such as the Global Seafood EXPO gives us a great platform to promote this.
“Wales has a remarkable range of highly innovative Seafood producers, who are making their mark internationally and whose brands are renowned across the globe for their high quality and for the sustainable way in which they are produced. This is also evident in the number of Welsh produce securing Protected Food Name (PFN) status, which includes Anglesey Sea Salt.
“We are aiming to grow the Food and Drink industry in Wales by 30% to £7 billion by the year 2020 by working in partnership with industry and I hope attending events like this can provide an international platform to showcase the very best Wales has to offer, as well as raise the profile of our brand.”
The food and drink industry is one of the Welsh Government’s key economic priority sectors, and fisheries play an important role in this. We are supporting the fisheries sector to develop and move in positive new directions, embracing new technology and advancements in research and development to put Wales at the forefront of sustainable food production.
In 2015, shellfish cultivation alone in Wales was valued at £12m and around 80 per cent of Welsh seafood is exported to the continent where the Welsh catch is highly prized. Our long term strategy for the development of Wales’ fisheries commits us to safeguarding, supporting and encouraging the industry.