Hybu Cig Cymru - Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) has recently launched a selection of educational resources for the start of the academic year.

The bilingual resources are aimed for the use of teachers and health professionals to help illustrate how red meat is produced in Wales and the benefits it provides for the environment and public health.

The presentations, worksheets, videos, posters and booklets have been produced by working with educational bodies to ensure that they are relevant for the curriculum of foundation children to Key Stage 4 (GCSE) level.

It is important that the younger generation is taught about where and how their food is produced and for them to understand that red meat produced in Wales is much more sustainable than the figures used on a global scale.

The resources will continually be updated to reflect changes in health and education guidelines and are available to download for free here: https://redmeathub.wales/

The Welsh Government has recently launched a Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) project with aims to increase the production of food in Wales which uses new technology in such a way that it has a positive contribution towards tackling climate change.

The project will support food businesses to use systems such as hydroponics, aeroponics and vertical farming where growing conditions such as water and light are controlled to maintain optimal crop development.

It will also contribute to the circular economy through the use of renewable energy.

While fruit and crops are difficult to grow in Wales and the land area appropriate for such use is limited, this project will enable producers to increase their output through means that contribute to mitigating climate change.

However, it must be noted that this can only be considered as one tool in the box for maintaining and increasing food production in Wales, contributing to the mitigation of climate change and ensuring that food security is maintained.

The UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has recently announced that £4 million of the £1 billion net zero innovation fund will be used to support organisations to increase the production of biomass feedstocks in the UK.

A total of 24 projects will receive funding of up to £200,000 each to increase the production of biomass for the generation of green energy, an initiative the UK Government recognises to be part of the answer for tackling climate change.

Biomass materials such as grasses, hemp, timber waste and seaweed can also be used to create chemicals and bio-plastics.

Aberystwyth University has received £160,000 for its Miscanspeed Project which is looking at ways to improve the breeding of high-yielding, resilient Miscanthus or Elephant Grass that are well-suited for biomass production in the UK.

It is hoped that this strategy will reduce the demand for imported biomass products and that the 24 projects will support rural economies and jobs.