The Welsh Government’s Glastir scheme and the challenges of implementing sustainable development goals

The Welsh Government urgently needs to make sense of sustainable development goals and clearly communicate these with the food and farming industry in Wales or the Glastir scheme will fail.

We’re concerned to learn about the farming industry’s reaction to the Welsh Government’s new Glastir scheme as reported in today's Western Mail.

Unfortunately this response to the Welsh Government’s attempts to implement sustainable development goals within the new Glastir scheme is nothing new. This is frustrating for Ecostudio and many of our clients because we have worked tirelessly to provide evidence that sustainable business is simply profitable business.

The food and farming industry in Wales is facing significant challenges from global competition for cheap food, rising energy and input costs and increasing pressure on natural resources.

The Welsh Government recognises that sustainable practices are fundamental to our nation’s economic survival. Many farm businesses feel they are already contributing this goal.

So the issue has nothing to do with farm businesses not wanting to be sustainable producers or that they are somehow environmental terrorists – in fact many farmers understand that they must work in harmony with the land or they will quickly exhaust the very means they rely upon to keep them in a profitable business.

On the contrary the issue revolves around a lack of clear communication for what sustainable development actually means.

Put simply sustainable development is economic development that does not exploit people or the environment.

It’s about building profitable businesses that pollute less and bring more benefit to the communities they serve. It’s not about environmentalists and social scientists dictating how we should behave (although having been involved in the industry for many years and we can see why some people may perceive it this way).

The key challenge for the Welsh Government in implementing the Glastir scheme lies in understanding how to implement sustainable practices.

Here at Ecostudio we’ve been championing the cause for sustainable food and farming business for many years.

We have worked with many farm businesses to build strategies and action plans to do just that – Birchgrove Eggs, Calon Wen Organic, Dunbia, Llwynhelyg Farm Shop and Ty Tanglwyst Dairy to name just a few.

Essentially sustainable business requires vision, innovation and determination (skills that most small businesses need to possess in abundance to survive in a global marketplace) combined with the know-how and experience to do things better (this is where we are able to help).

However if these efforts go unrecognised by policymakers and their delivery bodies. The food and farming business and the sustainable development agenda in Wales will not move forward.

Clearly this is something we feel passionately about particularly because we are positioned to do something positive to help move this agenda forward.

We welcome comments on this.

Birchgrove Eggs featured in The Western Mail

Since winning the True Taste Contribution to Sustainable Development Award in 2010 we’ve been helping this busy farm business develop a strategy for practical ways they can promote awareness of their sustainable approach to consumers, retailers and supply chain partners.

Our work was paid for by Cywain a project sponsored by the Welsh Government to help develop farm based businesses.

The article describes Birchgrove’s new mayonnaise range and the results of their carbon footprint through a scheme led by Bangor University.

We’re delighted for Tony and Gwen and all at Birchgrove and look forward to hearing about more developments in the not too distant.

We also read on the same page about a different regional egg producer that has received funding through the same scheme that helped Birchgrove.

To achieve sustainability we need to create a supportive environment that encourages food and farming businesses to work together towards achieving more sustainable food supply chains and to do this we need to be sensitive to the needs of both farm businesses.

Ecological footprinting in small and medium sized Welsh food business

Ecological footprinting is an approach advocated by the Welsh Government to measure progress towards a sustainable Wales. But is this appropriate for Welsh food business?

This work explores the commercial benefits and challenges of measuring sustainable performance in small and medium sized Welsh food businesses using Ecological Footprint, Carbon Footprint and Life Cycle Assessment methodologies.

It determines the practical steps that are needed to overcome barriers to improved sustainability measurement within small Welsh food business and recommends ways for policy makers to engage with business on sustainable development issues.

The study was part funded by the Welsh Government. It was done by Ecostudio in association with BRASS at Cardiff University. Support from the Organic Centre Wales Better Organic Business Links project was critical in illustrating the options for quantitative measurement specifically around Carbon Footprint methods.

The findings from this research will be available shortly. To find out more about practical tools and techniques for measuring and managing ecological footprint in small business please contact us
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Welsh Assembly Food and packaging waste plan now open for consultation

Ecostudio have been working with the Welsh Government Waste Strategy Unit on the new Food Manufacture, Service and Retail Sector Plan - an action plan to make it easier for food businesses to deal with food and packaging waste.

Our role is to advise policymakers and propose practical actions for Welsh food business to help meet waste prevention and recycling targets set out in Towards Zero Waste – the Assembly Government’s new waste strategy for Wales.

It's just one of the areas that the Welsh Government is focussing efforts to build a sustainable Wales. To make this happen views are sought.

To download and contribute to the consultation click here.

This is Rubbish – campaigning to reduce food waste

Ecostudio have been invited to speak in a ‘food futures’ roundtable discussion at the Hay festival on Monday 31st May hosted by This is Rubbish.

These guys bring a fresh and enthusiastic approach to raising awareness of a pretty awful problem.

Ecostudio are working with the Welsh Government to develop innovative plans that help business and producers prevent food waste.

It doesn’t sound like a load of rubbish to us…

If you’re planning a trip to Hay make sure you come along to one of their events -
find out more here:

This is Rubbish (TiR) aim to communicate the preventable scale of food waste in the UK, through policy, community and arts led public events. Using playful and creative experiences; collective ideas generation and craftivism, This is Rubbish will emphasise practical solutions to the pressing problem of industrial level food waste. This is Rubbish invite you to come along to one of their “Feast” tour dates and digest a programme of participatory activities followed by a free evening food waste feast to celebrate the wonders of waste. For the summer tour dates visit www.thisisrubbish.org.uk

Do you know a food business that deserves recognition for their animal welfare standards?

Half of UK eggs are now laid by cage free hens, according to the RSPCA, whose annual Good Business Awards are now open for entries.

However, while more customers are choosing higher welfare eggs than ever, around two thirds of all eggs used in restaurants, pubs and cafes – whether whole or in liquid form in quiches and cakes – still come from hens kept in battery cages.

The annual RSPCA Good Business Awards celebrate UK supermarkets, pubs, caterers and restaurants that put higher welfare products on their menus and shelves. Last year, retailers including The Co-Operative, Sainsbury’s and Abel & Cole took home awards.

Do you think your local restaurant should be rewarded? Do you know a producer who stands above the rest when it comes to their ethical stance on their food? Tell them about the Good Business Awards, which give public and industry recognition for commitments to animal welfare.

The awards close on 10 June 2011. For more information and to log on visit www.rspcagoodbusinessawards.com or to find out more about animal welfare and food go to www.goodthings.org.uk

Ecostudio feature in Welsh Economic Review

A paper written by Dr Calvin Jones of Cardiff University and Iain Cox of Ecostudio has been published in a leading journal.

The article describes why sustainable food is critical to the Welsh economy and the urgent challenges for Welsh policy makers for a truly sustainable food system to be embraced.

It focusses on some of the positive public and private sector initiatives that are happening in the food sector in Wales - such as the True Taste Sustainable Development Award. It illustrates how the Welsh Assembly Government Rural Affairs Department is investing in sustainable development and why this must be recognised by all government departments.

The article is featured in the Food Edition of the Welsh Economic Review, Spring 2011 (p. 13 & 14). To download the journal click here. _