Shoppers in supermarkets across Canada and Shanghai will soon be able to taste the success of Welsh food exports, as salami made in Pontardawe’s Cwmfarm Charcuterie is expected to fill their shelves.

Husband-and-wife team Ruth and Andrew Davies, who began rearing pigs on their 20-acre farm in 2010 to sell sausages and burgers from a catering trailer, soon diversified their business – and found a path to success through exporting.

Since going on trade missions across the Atlantic and serving its range of Welsh delicacies to Prime Minister Theresa May and her guests at a St David’s Day reception in Downing Street, the company’s order books have grown to include British Embassies and Consulates in locations such as Belgium, Finland and The Netherlands with the help of the Department for International Trade (DIT).

Their impact on dignitaries is now translating into business success, as the company is set to move into a new 2,000 sq ft factory this October and hire more staff to cope with increasing demand for their products including from supermarkets across Canada, Hong Kong and in Shanghai – China’s financial capital and the world’s third largest metropolitan area, home to 35 million people.

The news comes as exports of food and drink products from Wales nearly tripled to reach £495.43 million in 2018, up 187.2% from 2008 when they were worth just £172.5 million.

The Welsh food and drink industry is an economic success story with a £4.8 billion annual turnover. According to Food and Drink Federation Cymru, the sector employs more than 22,000 people working in more than 500 companies and is on course to increase turnover by 30% in 2020.

As the 100th Royal Welsh Show takes place in Llanelwedd, trade experts from DIT will be on hand to encourage Welsh businesses to start or expand exporting. On day two of the Show (Tuesday 23 July), an expert from DIT’s food and drink sector team will join a panel discussion for small and medium sized food and drink businesses, sharing top tips for developing an export strategy and overcoming barriers to exporting.

Ruth Davies, co-owner of Cwmfarm Charcuterie, said:

Attending very exciting trade missions to boost exports across the Atlantic has been a perfect stepping stone to meeting new contacts and has given us the opportunity to meet key buyers overseas.

We have had exciting leads and orders that will generate extra business and showcase our products across the world. We are now looking at bigger premises with extra staff to take these orders further, so it is an exciting time for Cwmfarm Charcuterie.

We’ll also be launching a new salami with a touch of orange zest and rhubarb and ginger gin at this year’s show.

In 2019, Cwmfarm Charcuterie won the UK British Cured Meat Awards for best snack.

Sue Bishop, Director of the Food and Drink Sector at DIT, said:

It’s great to see innovative businesses like Cwmfarm Charcuterie taking advantage of the rising global demand for Welsh food and drink.

The Department for International Trade is committed to helping companies from Wales and the rest of the UK to sell overseas, so I encourage food and drink businesses to visit the UK Government stand at the Royal Welsh Show to find out how we can support them on every step of their export journey.

Andrew Pyne, Director from Food and Drink Federation Cymru, said:

The food and drink industry in Wales is a thriving success story with projected growth set to exceed expectations. The micro and SME businesses that dominate the Welsh food and drink industry showcase the innovation and passion that is driving this growth, which includes exports worth £500m.

FDF Cymru is committed to supporting business growth and celebrating the economic importance of the Welsh food and drink industry.

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The Ministry of Defence has responded to campaign from PETA.

Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt has announced an above inflation pay rise for the armed forces, with the lowest paid soldiers, sailors and airmen and women receiving a 6% increase to ensure they receive a living wage.

The Ministry of Defence has accepted in full the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body’s recommendations for a 2.9% pay rise this financial year. This pay rise – the highest since 2007 – represents an annual increase of £995 in the average salary for personnel.

A separate pay rise has also been awarded to the lowest paid personnel, with the basic pay for newly trained sailors, soldiers, and airmen and women, rising by £1,140. This increase means that after basic training, new and junior personnel will receive an annual salary of £20,000 a year.

This represents an above inflation 6% pay rise for the most junior service personnel and delivers on the Defence Secretary’s recent commitment to introduce a living wage for the lowest-paid military personnel.

Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:

No soldier, sailor, airman or woman should be asked to serve our country and not be properly rewarded, which is why I’m pleased we have accepted the pay review body’s recommendation for an above-inflation rise this year.

But in order to attract and retain the best talent, we need to make sure even the lowest paid members of the armed forces receive an acceptable salary to live on. Today’s 6% pay rise for junior personnel will ensure they receive a living wage and show the armed forces is an attractive career option.

The annual pay award will be implemented in September’s salaries and will be backdated from April.

In June, the Defence Secretary announced that the MOD would work on providing a living wage to those lowest paid personnel in the armed forces. While the military do not work contracted hours, the 6% pay rise ensures that the lowest paid will receive a living wage. Personnel also have access to subsided accommodation and non-contributory pensions.

Supporting up to 250 jobs, the Courts and Tribunals Service Centre (CTSC) will bring services together under one roof, offering an efficient way for people to get the help they need with their case or query. This will work alongside courts and tribunals, allowing staff there to spend more time supporting those who need to attend in person.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service CEO, Susan Acland-Hood, said:

This is just one example of how our reform programme is putting people at the heart of the justice system.

Our service centres will transform the way we support court and tribunal users, using new technology to do things quickly and efficiently, respond well to queries, and offer help.

In the centres already open, staff are delivering our new online divorce, probate, single justice and social security appeals services, which have satisfaction rates of up to 92%.

Two service centres, in Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent, opened in January 2019, with Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) and probate digital services operating from Birmingham and Single Justice Service (SJS) and divorce services, alongside administrators, supporting video hearings in Stoke-on-Trent. A third centre, in Loughborough, is due to open in 2020.

The fourth CTSC will be in Greater Manchester and is expected to open in 2021. Housing around 250 staff, it will bring the total workforce to approximately 1,250 in the CTSC network across England and Wales.

Half of the HMCTS workforce will continue to be based in courts and tribunals and will work together with the new service centres.

Creation of the CTSCs is part of the £1bn being invested in transforming courts and tribunals, making the justice system simpler to access, convenient to use and more efficient to run.

School teachers and leaders are set to receive an above inflation pay rise in the next academic year.

The Education Secretary has today (Mon 22 July) accepted all the recommendations from the independent School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), to raise the upper and lower boundaries of all pay ranges by 2.75 per cent.

Schools will continue to determine how staff are paid, but the increase in pay will be supported by an additional £105 million to be paid through the teachers’ pay grant, on top of the £321 million already committed for the 2019-20 financial year.

This will help schools to maximise the money they spend on the frontline, focusing resources on where it matters most – the classroom.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds said:

Over the last year and a half, I’ve met hundreds of teachers, leaders and staff in schools and have been inspired by their dedication to do the best for the children and young people they work with.

Today’s announcement of a 2.75% pay rise for teachers, accepting the STRB’s recommendations in full, means that teachers and heads can receive a pay rise above current rates of inflation and have more money in their pockets.

If we want the best people working in our classrooms then it’s right that we ensure their salaries recognise the vital nature of their work and the potentially life changing impact they can have on the lives of our children.

An increase of 2.75% is equivalent to a £1,000 increase to average classroom teacher pay and a £1,620 increase in the average pay of school leaders.

Minimum starting salaries for classroom teachers will increase by between £653 (rest of England) and £816 (inner London). This means the minimum starting salary for a qualified teacher in 2019/20 will rise from £23,720 to £24,373 outside of London and from £29,664 to £30,480 in inner London.

Classroom teachers at the top of the main pay range could see an increase between £963 and £1,111 taking their salaries to a possible £35,971 (rest of England) and £41,483 (inner London).

More experienced classroom teachers at the higher end of the upper pay range could receive an increase between £1,084 and £1,327, meaning they could earn up to £40,490 (rest of England) and £49,571 (inner London).

Those on the top of the leadership pay range could see an increase between £3,053 and £3,259 meaning they could earn up to £114,060 (rest of England) and £121,749 (inner London).

The average gross pay for classroom teachers in November 2018 was £36,200 and for leadership teachers was £58,900. In addition to an annual pay award, many teachers also receive increases from promotions and responsibility allowances.

The £105 million of additional funding covers the 0.75% over the level we assessed as affordable in the Department’s evidence to the STRB in January.

The core schools budget is increasing by 2.6% between 2018-19 and 2019-20. Schools typically spend around half of their overall budgets on teachers’ pay.

Today’s announcement builds on the Department’s commitment to provide schools in England with a grant worth £848 million to ensure teachers’ pensions remain among the most generous in the country.

The Education Secretary is determined to ensure salaries for teachers recognise the vital role they play as part of his strategy to recruit and retain the best possible people in the teaching profession.

This announcement comes as almost a million public sector workers including police officers, teachers and soldiers get a second-year of inflation-busting pay rises.