Welsh ready for Brussels show

AS another large delegation of Welsh producers prepares to head off to the Seafood Expo Global, the country’s Deputy Minister for Farming and Food, Rebecca Evans, has today spoken of the importance of the seafood sector to growth plans for the food industry in Wales, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to FishnewsEU.

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.”

In 2015, the country’s shellfish cultivation alone was valued at £12m, and around 80 per cent of Welsh seafood is exported to the Continent.