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Royal Welsh Show 2016. Wednesday.
Scarlets rugby team support welsh dairy farmers! at the Royal Welsh Show, players having a milkshake.
L/R Will Boyde, Ryan Elias, Wyn Jones, Steff Hughes and Hadleigh Parker, pictured at the FUW stand.[/caption]
In a bid to promote the benefits of drinking milk and to raise awareness of the importance of supporting the Welsh dairy industry, the Farmers’ Union of Wales has once again teamed up with the Scarletts Rugby team at the Royal Welsh Show.
Handing out free milk drinks to children, FUW Dairy Spokesperson Eifion Huws said: “Milk and dairy products have an important part to play in our daily diet as they provide an important source of protein and calcium and contain essential vitamins and minerals, all of which are needed for a balanced diet.
“Indeed, the exclusion of dairy products from the ‘sugar tax’ demonstrates the role such products play in a healthy diet.”
“In addition, with an increasing amount of research into milk as a recovery and re-hydration aid for athletes, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting milk may be just as effective in these areas as some sports drinks,” commented Eifion Huws.
However, despite the recognised benefits of milk and dairy products in a balanced diet, dairy producers in Wales remain in need of urgent support.
“In the absence of moves which ensure markets provide sufficient income for dairy farm businesses we have to ensure that support is maintained for our sectors at levels which do not compromise either family farms or rural economies.
“The decision to leave the European Union means that agriculture and domestic food production needs to be given priority during all trade negotiations with other countries and trading blocks now and post-Brexit and that most certainly is critical to the survival of the our Welsh dairy industry.
“In light of the continuing dairy crisis it is essential that robust steps are taken to ensure supermarkets and other private sector bodies support domestic dairy producers and do not act in a way which undermines our UK dairy food production or the viability of our agricultural sectors in general,” added Eifion Huws.