I think farmers have always had to have a thick skin when it comes to unwarranted criticism and sadly the volume of this unjustified flak appears to have increased in recent times, writes NFU Wales president John Davies.

So much so that I am considering placing a bet as to when the terms ‘farmer-bashing’ or ‘agri-bashing’ make it into the Oxford Concise English Dictionary, such has become the frequency of the unfounded allegations aimed at our industry.

In recent years the month of January has seen this agenda ratcheted up a notch further as campaigning movements promote the vegan lifestyle.

Regrettably much of this activity amounts to factually incorrect statements and misinformation that is disparaging to the farming industry and deliberately misleads consumers.

Already this month the NFU and NFU Cymru has had cause to intervene when one retailer was claiming to its millions of followers on social media that going meat free for one day a week has the same impact on your carbon footprint as not driving a car for a month.

This was an absurd, wildly inaccurate claim that was quickly dismantled for its inaccuracies by NFU staff and the post has subsequently been removed.

The NFU and NFU Cymru has also spoken privately with the retail chain on the matter. This is just one example of the ongoing work the union is undertaking to counter misinformation about agriculture and protect the industry’s reputation.

NFU Cymru completely respects that everyone has the right to choose what they eat, all we ask is that people are able to make those decisions from an informed position based on facts rather than fiction.

Here in Wales so much of our agricultural production is based around natural, healthy grass-based systems that flourish under the plentiful supply of grass and rain we enjoy on this green and pleasant land. Welsh farmers should take great pride in the role they play in feeding the nation tasty and healthy food that is produced with a tiny carbon footprint compared to our global competitors.

We will not shy away from taking action when bogus claims threaten to damage the hard-earned favourable reputation we enjoy with over 98% of the British consumers who buy our products.

I want all readers to know that they can continue to buy delicious and nutritious, climate-friendly Welsh and British climate-farm produce safe in the knowledge that it has been produced to the highest animal health and welfare regulations and environmental standards.

We greatly value the consumer’s continued support and encourage shoppers to make environmentally-conscious choices by keeping a careful eye on labelling and buying local wherever possible.