The Meirionnydd branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales is holding its  Annual General Meeting on Friday March 4, at the Rugby Club, Dolgellau starting at 7.30pm.

The main focus of the event will be the upcoming Welsh Assembly elections and speakers this year will be all candidates in the Meirion Dwyfor constituency.

Plaid Cymru candidate Lord Dafydd Elis Thomas, Liberal Democrat candidate Stephen Churchman, Labour candidate Ian McIntire, Conservative candidate Neil Fairlamb and a UKIP representative are attending the meeting and will answer questions from the audience.

FUW County Executive Officer for Meirionnydd, Huw Jones, said: “We warmly invite our members to join us for this important meeting and look forward to discussing a wide range of topics that are of importance to the Welsh economy and agriculture.

“There will be also be an opportunity for members to put forward their arguments in the context of the referendum on the future of the United Kingdom within the European Union, a topic of great importance to the agricultural industry.”

Further details are available from the County office in Dolgellau. Contact number 01341 422298 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

When we think of St David’s Day many things might come to mind not least of which will be those iconic ingredients for Welsh Cawl: Lamb and Leeks. And whilst the quality of Welsh Lamb is well recognised throughout Wales it is also increasingly being recognised further afield.

In Europe in particular, where the market for Welsh meat is worth close to £200 million a year with a significant proportion of that being for lamb, there is a fast growing market for Welsh lamb as a niche premium product.

“There’s no doubt that its Protected Geographical Indication Status, which guarantees a genuinely authentic product is highly important,” said Alan Davies of the Farmer’s Union of Wales.

“But we’ve known for years that the combination of our brilliant farmers, along with some of the lushest grass in the world and a plentiful supply of rain, all combine to produce a great product.

“We heard only recently from Hybu Cig Cymru/Meat Promotion Wales that Welsh Lamb is gaining ground in Germany where is it marketed as a niche, premium product, and rightly so. It is a wonderful product, taking the German market by storm.”

Access to EU markets, especially with regards to lamb exports, is vitally important for Welsh agriculture. Officials figures showed that in 2014, approximately 35 percent of sheep meat produced in Wales was exported to the European Union.

“We need to be able to guarantee access to this market freely and that is only possible if we remain in the EU. Yes the EU is not perfect, we know that. But being part of it brings with it so many positive benefits that ensure a prosperous and economically viable rural Wales. We must not jeopardise that position.”

A Fair Trade Big Breakfast has been organised by the Anglesey branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales in support of the National Fair Trade campaign “Sit down for breakfast, stand up for farmers!”.

The breakfast will be held on Wednesday, March 9 at Cartio Môn Karting, Bodedern starting at 9am.

Joining the breakfast will be representatives of Fair Trade Wales, FUW President Glyn Roberts will talk about fair prices for Welsh Farmers and FUW Senior Policy Officer Dr Hazel Wright  will provide an update on climate change and how it has affected Welsh farming.

In 2008 Wales became the first ever “Fair Trade Nation” and the FUW announced its support for Fair Trade at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair in December that year.

Since then the FUW has been working closely with Fair Trade Wales to highlight the need for farmers all over the world to get paid a fair price so that food security can be achieved across the globe.

FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “While our produce and farming methods are on the one hand extremely different, there are many similarities between major issues of concern.

“Despite our differences, the principle that a farmer should receive a fair price for his produce transcends international boundaries, and is one that we should all support, whether as individuals or as organisations – and this principle should also extend to procurement by public bodies.”

Mr Roberts further added that following this principle recognises ways of supporting small scale producers – whether in underdeveloped countries of the Third World or right here in Wales.

The FUW believes Welsh farmers who want a fair price for their lambs in the market should also want a fair price for coffee farmers in other countries.

FUW Anglesey County Executive Officer Heidi V Williams, who has organised the Fair Trade Big Breakfast,  said: “I am  looking forward to holding this event which will demonstrate the backing of this worthwhile national campaign on a local level and highlight the issues facing the industry and the importance that farmers are paid a fair price for their produce.”

To book your seat around the breakfast table contact the FUW Anglesey office on 01248 750250.  Breakfast tickets are £10 per head with all proceeds going to British Heart Foundation.

A contingency plan for agriculture should the UK vote to leave the European Union on June 23 is absolutely essential according to the Farmers’ Union of Wales.

“Defra Minister George Eustice recently hinted what a contingency plan for agriculture could look like but there are apparently no firm or detailed plans in the pipeline and what is being said is little better than speculation,” said FUW Managing Director Alan Davies.

The Union’s renewed call for a plan B comes after Mr Eustice implied a system similar to current area payments would 'probably' be kept, with accreditation schemes that farmers could enroll in automatically rather than having an annual application process.

Mr Eustice also suggested the budget allocated to farm payments - which has already been cut significantly - could be slashed by around a third.

“Mr Eustice's indication that the payment budget could be cut so significantly will for many confirm a key fear that support for rural areas will diminish if we leave the EU - after all, successive UK Governments have been at the forefront of moves to reduce the CAP budget for years," said Mr Davies.

"Many may also fear that Mr Eustice's £2 billion figure is far higher than what would eventually be allocated."

Mr Davies also highlighted the uncertainty in terms of what proportion of such a figure would come to Wales.

"If Wales' proportion of a £2 billion budget reflected current allocations, Wales would be worse off by about £85 million per annum. The impact for our rural communities and supply chains would be devastating.

"Of course there are things that could be done differently should we leave the EU but at the moment we are still in the dark and we have already urged the Welsh and UK Governments to come up with contingency plans to secure the future of Welsh farming" said Mr Davies.

“We have said it before and we will say it again, leaving the EU is not a policy that the Union supports. We have yet to see any evidence that leaving the EU will have any significant impact on the rules and regulations that many criticise.

“We do have plenty of evidence published by successive UK Governments that support for farming, rural communities and food security will quickly dissolve once we are outside the EU,” added Mr Davies.

"We have yet to see any clear evidence that key political players have done a U-turn over such policies.

Mr Eustice, who’s campaigning to leave the EU, is at direct odds with Defra secretary Liz Truss, who has warned that such a move would be a leap into the dark - a sentiment that is echoed by the FUW.

“Even though it's commendable that Mr Eustice is having a go at putting a contingency plan out there, at the moment there is absolutely no meat on the bones, in particular in terms of the impact for those who derive an income from agriculture, and the thousands of secondary and tertiary businesses which rely on agriculture.” added Mr Davies.

The Union believes that voters need to have all the details ahead of the June referendum in order to make an informed decision and will continue to bring as much information to the table as possible in the upcoming EU debates.