By Farmer reporters

FARMERS’ leaders have given a warm welcome to major plans for a new food park outside Haverfordwest which could create up to 1,000 jobs.

The proposed Pembrokeshire Food Park is planned to provide one million square foot of food production and cold storage facilities, a shared distribution network, and transport hub, at Withybush Industrial Estate.

Existing facilities for processing food produced in the county are limited and this means it is mostly shipped out of the county.

The possibility of food production and cold storage facilities being created at the new food park at Withybush is a huge boost for Pembrokeshire’s rural economy, says NFU Cymru president and Pembrokeshire dairy farmer, Stephen James.

“This is really exciting news,’’ he told Pembrokeshire Farmer. “So much of our raw materials leave Pembrokeshire with value added elsewhere.

“A facility like this is long overdue and will not only give security to parts of the farming sector but will help farmers to reduce their carbon footprint.’’

FUW deputy president and north Pembrokeshire farmer Brian Thomas said: “News of the new food park must be welcomed. Our rural economies need such investment and the extra jobs such a development creates are going to be a big boost for our communities, making sure that money keeps circulating in our rural economies.

"With the food park targeting large-scale vegetable producers, food processing, and dairy product suppliers as well as specialist smaller scale outlets and start-up businesses, I hope that the development will cut down food miles and ultimately make it easier and more economical for local producers to sell their produce.”

Plans for the food park were announced during an Autumn Producer Evening at County Hall in Haverfordwest.

Local producers heard the park would not only provide companies with resources needed to expand, but also support new start-up businesses, thanks to a mixture of different-sized incubator units with flexibility for growth.

The Food Park is expected to boost the local economy, with attractive proposals for food producers, and has been hailed as a ‘new dawn’ for south west Wales.

Plans include a modern distribution hub with a renewable energy infrastructure, and create a research and educational base to help ensure sustainable growth in the future.

The site is expected to include a million square feet of food production and cold storage facilities, with a haulage and logistics hub which can be shared by local supplies.

Information, recently released about the development, states the park will become part of Wales’ first District Cooling Network, allowing it to align with the Welsh government’s Zero Carbon Zones in Swansea, Carmarthen and Milford Haven.

There will also be a test laboratory and kitchens, teaching and conferencing facilities and a visitor centre which will link with a showcase in Haverfordwest town centre.

For details on the evening’s presentations contact Pembrokeshire County Council’s Food Officer Joe Welch at joanne.welch@pembrokeshire.gov.uk or call 01437 776169.