An EU scheme to provide free, locally sourced fruit in schools has been welcomed by Plaid MEP Jill Evans.
Ms Evans said she would be writing to Welsh Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones regarding the scheme which she hopes will be good news for Welsh school children and farmers.
The scheme, which is due to come into force in time for the 2009/10 school year was approved this week by the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee and is due for final approval by the full parliament in November.
Ms Evans said that she would certainly be voting in favour of the scheme.
This is great news for school pupils and farmers alike, and it's particularly welcome that this European money will be used to buy locally produced fruit . The One Wales Government is committed to improving children's diet and promoting local food so this scheme will certainly help.
"It's important to promote a culture of healthy eating at an early age. There's no better way to do that than by encouraging children to eat fresh fruit produced locally."
4 comments:
Oh, please no more 'free' gimmicks.
Can we have a government and political system which invests in the infrastructure of Wales and creates a tax system which then encourages people to take care of their own health rather than bribe them with nonsens?
The school my kids go to insist that kids bring a 'tocyn' to school every day. The 'tocyn' can only be fresh friut and not chocolate. It works, it's simple, it's not patronising and it reminds parents that it's their job to raise their kids and stop blaming others for their stupidity.
anon, there's no such thing as a free lunch, it is paid for from tax revenue's. Yours, mine and every other tax payer.
And here's the rub, the children who will benefit from such a scheme often come from families in such desperate conditions, the choice between healthy eating and eating is the only issue. I know, I see them every day in my work.
It is not bribery, its a subsidy in kind, hopefully a kind subsidy, a subsidy the middle classes can reject if they wish, would that be a first?
Do Welsh farmers grow any fruit?
It would depend upon how Offa's Dyke runs through the marches, do they grow fruit in Shropshire?
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