CARMARTHENSHIRE has been indentified as one of three top employment hotspots in Wales for food and farming.

According to the Spotlight on Food and Farming survey by Careers Wales, the county joins Powys and Flintshire at the top of the table.

The report, which looks into food and farming careers in Wales, highlights the need for more young people to work in farming and food and has identified the roles that will be most in demand as the industry continues to evolve and grow.

With the Welsh Government aiming to grow the farming and food production sector 30% by 2020, Roland Wear, business engagement adviser for Careers Wales, said the demand for recruits with the right skills will be high during the coming years.

“There is a real need to get more young people to consider a career in the food and farming sector. It’s not just farm workers that we need, but environmental professionals, animal care workers, gardeners and engineers too,’’ he said.

“The evolving nature of the industry demands people with science and business backgrounds, so it is crucial that food and farming businesses in Wales are doing everything they can to attract new talent.”

He said the report also confirms that there is a clear demand for more young people to enter the agricultural industry in Wales, as 64% of Welsh farmers are aged over 55.

The report predicts that the future food and farming workforce will require science, technology and business skills.

It claims that the fastest-growing jobs are set to be animal care workers (28%), veterinarians (25%), veterinary nurses (24%) and manufacturing production managers (24%).