The Auditor General is being asked to investigate how much Hybu Cig Cymru Meat Promotion Wales paid towards a minister’s trip to Canada.
North Wales AM Antoinette Sandbach is demanding action after discovering that HCC, which is tasked with promoting Welsh red meat, attended just one food show in England in the last three years.
HCC has refused to say how much it cost to take stands at overseas shows, or the bill to fly board members and staff out there, put them up in hotels and pay for meals.
UK shoppers and trade buyers make up the bulk of the target market for the HCC. But new figures show these consumers are increasing turning to overseas meat imports as they fail to be tempted by the benefits of buying Welsh-produced meat.
“HCC is funded by a meat tax on Welsh farmers – it takes £4.34 for every cow, buffalo or bison sold, more than £1 for every pig, and 63p for lamb and sheep. That cash should go towards tempting shoppers in England, Ireland and Scotland to buy Welsh lamb, pork and beef,” said Ms Sandbach.
“Instead the levy is funding jollies abroad to Canada by the Minister for Natural Resources – who was there instead of leading the Welsh response to the recent storms and flooding – and by officials to Hong Kong and Dubai.
“I have asked HCC to tell me how much it spends on these events, how they are chosen and why, but it has refused to do so, saying the figures are commercially sensitive, or that it would take too much time to collate the information. I am now asking the Auditor General to intervene as I believe these figures should be in the public domain.
“Also, I asked the Minister for Natural Resources to give a detailed breakdown of the cost of his recent trade mission to the USA and Canada, covering all the money spent by HCC and the Welsh Government – but he has refused point blank reveal anything.
“It is in the public interest that HCC is as transparent as possible in terms of prices and costs. These figures ought to be instantly at hand for accounting reasons. Surely, someone, somewhere in HCC, must know how much is being spent at trade shows promoting Welsh meat overseas in comparison to the UK market?
“HCC has almost halved its UK advertising, from £972,259 in 2012 to £499,065 last year. At the same, it has increased its European advertising eightfold, from £46,240 in 2012 to £335,510 last year.
“I’d also query why HCC prefers to book its own stand at these international trade shows, rather than sharing the Welsh Government’s stand, which is already costing taxpayers millions of pounds. Sharing stands would be both cheaper and help promote Wales as a brand.
“It seems officials and board members prefer to jet off to Paris and Milan, Hong Kong and Dubai to promote Welsh pork, beef and lamb, when HCC admits that only a third of Welsh meat is exported.
“It’s not surprising that more and more meat is being imported into the UK from overseas, including from Botswana, Namibia and Brazil, according to figures from HM Revenue and Customs.
“HCC should be tempting shoppers in England, Ireland and Scotland to buy Welsh meat – it tastes wonderful, it has low food miles and it supports the UK economy. Instead shoppers seem to prefer buying New Zealand lamb, which made up almost three quarters of the 98,000 tonnes of meat imported into the UK last year.
“Top British chefs are well aware of how good Welsh meat is. Lamb produced in North Wales, for example, is served up by Anthony Demetre, Jamie Oliver, Michael Caines, Richard Corrigan and Angela Hartnett and it’s even been personally requested by the Queen.
“HCC is charged with finding new markets for Welsh meat but seems content to sit back and do virtually nothing, saying that overseas imports will drop because Chinese buyers are snapping up the meat from New Zealand and Australia. That’s hardly helpful for Welsh farmers who pay this tax on top of every cow, pig or lamb they sell, in the hope it will go towards promoting their produce,” added Ms Sandbach.
In the past three years HCC has only taken one stand at a single UK trade show outside Wales – London’s International Food and Drink Exhibition in 2012. It also took stands during 20111-2013 at Gulfood in Dubai; Cibus in Parma, Italy; Sial International Trade Fair, Paris; Sirha Trade Fair, Lyon, France; Anuga International Trade Fair, Cologne, Germany; Hofex, Hong Kong; and Tutto Food, Milan, Italy. It funded key buyers events in Milan in 2011 and 2012. In addition had stands at the Royal Welsh Show and Winter Fair at Builth Wells.
HCC also sponsored National Butchers Week, Supermeat Awards, Halford Round Britain Cycle Series and the International Food and Drink Event, along with the Welsh Butcher of the Year competition, Welsh Curry House of the Year, True Taste Awards and the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society.
Ms Sandbach asked for the costs of each stand at each event, but HCC refused, saying it would prejudice competition on potential new tenders to provide stands at events in 2014. In addition she asked for a breakdown of the bills to take officials to the fairs.
