Support Your Local Shops

The Rhondda MS is backing a major new campaign to help boost the Welsh food and drink industry.

Leanne Wood is getting behind Plaid Cymru’s ‘I’m buying local” campaign which encourages people to choose locally produced food and drink. The aim is to help businesses cope with the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and secure a long-term future.

The campaign highlights how the pandemic could, with the right leadership, provide an opportunity to re-set the economy.

Leanne Wood MS said: “Many food and drink businesses in the Rhondda have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

“While some have been able to adapt, others haven’t for various reasons and their income stream has dried up completely.  

“Plaid Cymru has called for more state intervention to help these businesses but we can all do our bit. If people could make that extra effort to back Welsh food and drink producers wherever possible it could make a big difference.

“Treorci has bucked the downward trend for high streets through the power of people supporting their local businesses.”

Ms Wood added: “The virus has laid bare just how reliant we are on food imports. Now is the time to rethink, reset and rebuild our food supply from the ground up, putting on emphasis on local producers.

“The UK Government has steadily withdrew from food policy and allowed our food retail industry to become ever more concentrated in a few hands. Just four companies control 70% of the UK food retail market. That has come at a cost to farms and small producers who are dictated to by the big conglomerates.

“By re-evaluating our food production model and putting more onus on local suppliers, we can build in a resilience that has been lacking for some time. We all have a part to play in supporting this change in model.”