Let’s have a grown-up conversation about what the climate crisis means for our diets in Wales

Ben Lake, Plaid Cymru MP

Yesterday’s Free Trade Agreement between the UK Government and New Zealand paves the way for increased trade between the countries.

What about Welsh sheep farmers? Could they now be facing increased competition from New Zealand lamb imports. What does this mean for the steps we take to produce sustainable meat?

We know that intensive agriculture is a key factor in global warming and deforestation.

However, unlike overseas food production that can be more carbon-intensive and make use of more chemicals and medications, the soil beneath the grass that Welsh cattle eat absorbs thousands of tonnes and stores it.

This protects our beautiful Welsh countryside, home of a large amount of biodiversity.

The current debate is far too simplistic. Many people don’t understand the facts behind the headlines and think giving up all meat and dairy overnight will solve the problem.

The truth is, we can support our local food and farming and take steps to reduce our carbon footprint – it doesn’t need to be an either/or.

We understand that businesses are looking towards the UK Government’s net zero goal, and we are all being encouraged by some to reduce meat and dairy consumption, but local, seasonal produce is often overlooked in this binary debate.

Red meat can be produced sustainably and ethically, which can help combat climate change.

Red meat can still be produced and eaten sustainably by careful land management and low intensity farming methods. This is good news for rural communities, Welsh farmers, and consumers.

We are proud to say that Wales is one the most sustainable places in the world to produce red meat. Independent research, including Hybu Cig Cymru, has proven this.’s The Welsh Way: Towards Global Leadership for Sustainable Lamb and Beef Production.

It is low in intensity and the grasslands that are used for grazing serve as carbon stores. It produces significantly fewer greenhouse gasses than other systems worldwide and relies heavily on plentiful grass and rainfall, rather than imports that are energy-intensive.

Sustainable farming

This is not all: buying Welsh Beef or Lamb means that you are supporting sustainable farming practices and the communities that support them.

It means supporting over 223,100 jobs and food and drink supply chain worth over £6 billion to the UK economy. With Welsh Gower Salt Marsh Lamb Officially joining the club of the UK’s most iconic products last summer, now is the time to choose locally-sourced Welsh beef and lamb, rather than shipping in meat from the far corners of the world with a huge carbon footprint.

Plaid Cymru therefore calls for it to be central in green policy-making.

There has never been a better moment to encourage sustainable and ethical meat consumption, especially in light of the Net Zero Strategy and National Food Strategy.

The long-awaited UK Agriculture Act paves the way for farmers to be paid for producing ‘public goods’ and managing their land in an ‘environmentally sustainable way’. The transition from the Common Agriculture Policy will take seven years. Now is a good time to invest in high-quality local meat.

But let’s ensure emerging trade deals don’t hurt Welsh domestic meat and dairy farming for example through the introduction of technical barriers to trade where previously there have been none.

Instead, we should make the most of the opportunities available to us. The answer is not to eat less red meat, but rather to produce and consume it ethically and sustainably.

This is possible only with the support of government policy.