[caption id="attachment_5941" align="aligncenter" width="242"] Mathew Williams receives the Pembrokeshire FUW Countryside Business award from FUW Pembrokeshire county chairman Hywel Vaughan.[/caption]

An innovative dairy farmer, who has invested in installing a robotic milking system which enables him to keep the dairy herd in production, has been announced as the winner of the 2015 Pembrokeshire FUW Countryside Business award.

Mathew Williams, 34, of Glyn Llewelyn, Llanycefn, Clynderwen, was presented with the award on Tuesday December 1 at the Pembrokeshire County Executive Committee meeting in Haverfordwest.

The award is presented to an individual 40 years of age or under who has developed their own rural based business and the judges were looking for entries from a wide range of people including those who are farming in their own right; those who are providing a service to the agricultural sector or those who have started a rural based business.  

Glyn Llewelyn is a family affair and is now in being farmed by the third generation of the Williams family. Mathew’s father John has been farming there for nearly 40 years and it was previously farmed by his father Jimmy. Mathew Williams, who has been farming since he left Gelli Aur College at the age of 18, is married to Rhinedd, a primary school teacher and they have 2 children.

Daughter Cadi is 4 years old and goes to Maenclochog School and son Guto has just turned 2 and already loves being out on the farm, Mathew says.

Speaking about why he has chosen to continue the family business, he said: “I farm because I don't know any different-it’s in my blood. I was out on the farm with my father from a very young age and knew exactly I wanted to farm Glyn Llewelyn when I grew up.”

FUW Pembrokeshire county chairman Hywel Vaughan, who was on the judging panel, said: “In presenting this award we hope to highlight the fantastic work which young people are doing to keep the rural areas of Pembrokeshire vibrant and economically active places.

“Mathew is one of these inspirational people we have here in the county and in order to recognise his tenacity and determination to make his business a success and keep the family rooted in farming we are honoured to present him with this award.”

The Pembrokeshire FUW Countryside Business award includes a cash prize, perpetual trophy and a year’s free membership with the FUW.

In partnership with his parents, John and Eunice, Mathew Williams farms 150 acres and runs a dairy herd of approximately 90 cows and also operates a successful, busy, contracting business, which includes slurry pumping and tankers, silage production, hedge cutting and digger work.

Mathew Williams, who now enjoys spending more time with his family rather than being in the milking parlour for 6 hours a day, said: “We were facing quite a few problems before deciding on the robot, such as not enough grazing land surrounding the farm plus a road going through the farm making it difficult with the grazing system.

“Our previous abreast parlour had come to the end of its life and therefore we needed to consider our options and decided to install a new robotic milking system.

“The robot gives us the flexibility needed to continue with our contracting business and I am not  tied to a routine-not needing to milk at specific times during the day brings great advantages with it.

“The benefits with the robot are that the cows are milking up to 4 times a day and as such are producing more milk. They are also less stressed as they are working at their own pace and an added bonus is that I am now able to spend more quality time with the family.”

Despite the current problems facing the industry, he has a positive outlook on the future and high hopes for his young family.

“The dairy industry at the moment is struggling. Before the drop in milk price we were considering installing a second robot, but we then decided that it would be better not to put all our eggs in one basket and have gone down the route of rearing our calves.

“I'm hoping that things will improve in the milk industry in the near future and that my children will have the same opportunities I had to continue to farm Glyn Llewelyn.”

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has described the Welsh Government’s north Pembrokeshire badger vaccination programme as a ‘complete farce’ after it was revealed that its five year vaccination trial could not be completed – and has called for a return to a science based badger culling policy, the removal of all additional farm restrictions in the area and for what remains of the vaccination budget to be used to help north Pembrokeshire farmers.

Deputy Minister for Farming and Food Rebecca Evans revealed on Tuesday (December 1) that a global shortage in BCG vaccine has led to the suspension of badger vaccination in Wales – meaning badger vaccination will almost certainly not take place next year, which was to have been the final year of the north Pembrokeshire Intensive Action Area (IAA) vaccination pilot.

Since 1 May 2010 farmers within the IAA have had to undertake additional and costly cattle control measures over and above those implemented in the rest of Wales.

“Farmers accepted additional cattle controls in the area in 2010 on the understanding that the wildlife disease reservoir would be tackled using a scientifically proven approach, in the form of badger culling,” said FUW TB spokesman Brian Walters.

“In 2012 those farmers were betrayed by the Welsh Government’s decision to replace badger culling with vaccination, despite scientific and economic evidence from its own staff and advisors showing vaccination would cause more cattle to die, and cost an additional £3.5million.”

Brian Walters said that the latest progress report from the IAA had concluded there had been no meaningful change in TB levels in the area.

“The Welsh Government has now revealed that it is not even able to complete the second-rate policy it introduced in 2012 – meaning north Pembrokeshire farmers have been let down not once but twice,” he added.

Brian Walters described the situation as a “complete farce” and said it was now imperative that the additional cattle controls present in the area for more than five years should now be lifted. He said the FUW was also calling for what remains of the IAA vaccination budget to be used to help those farmers in the area who have endured additional costs not present in other areas.

“Four years and millions of pounds – around £700 per badger vaccinated - have been wasted on a policy which the available science tells us cannot come close to being as effective as a badger cull.

“In light of this failure, the Welsh Government should now implement a badger culling policy at the earliest opportunity in line with the official ministerial advice it has previously received, in order to replicate the positive outcomes of culling seen in countries throughout the world.

The FUW is eager to work with the Welsh Government in order to develop and implement an action plan for a badger culling policy. 

[caption id="attachment_5932" align="aligncenter" width="169"] FUW president Glyn Roberts at the manifesto launch.[/caption]

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has outlined those issues which should be priorities for Assembly Members and the Welsh Government after next May’s election in its manifesto, launched today (November 30) at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair.

Speaking during the launch, FUW president Glyn Roberts said that while the manifesto deals with areas as diverse as the RDP, animal health, red tape and renewable energy, all were of direct relevance to Wales’ economy, and in particular the economy of the rural areas where almost 35 percent of Welsh residents live.

“Where better to illustrate this than here at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair,” said Glyn Roberts, who highlighted the fact that hundreds of the tradestands at the Winter Fair represented businesses which are partly or solely reliant on agriculture, some of which employed hundreds of people.

“For every business here today at the Winter Fair, which are reliant on agriculture, there are hundreds of others not present - from the village shop to the local garage, from the agricultural contractor to the local builder, all are dependent to some extent on agriculture.”

Glyn Roberts warned that withdrawal from the EU represented a major threat to such businesses and Wales’ economy as a whole, and that far more needed to be done by the next Welsh Government, to quantify the potential impacts of a withdrawal from the EU, or the further watering down of the CAP.

“Frustrated as we all are with the EU’s many shortcomings, the FUW believes that exit from the EU would cause economic collapse for agriculture and our rural economies on a scale not seen for generations.

“People voting for or against EU membership, or advocating the abolition or watering down of the CAP, need to know in detail what the likely consequences of what they advocate will be,” said Glyn Roberts.

A key demand of the FUW’s manifesto is that detailed work should be undertaken early on by the next Welsh Government to quantify such impacts - not only to inform lobbying positions ahead of a vote on EU membership, but also contingency plans, should such an exit become inevitable.

"Given the pressures from some to water down the CAP even if we remain in the EU, and the appetite for costly bureaucracy, such work is essential in terms of ensuring Assembly Members and the Welsh Government are well-informed and lobby at every level for what is best for Wales, rather than passively accepting policies which we believe would be devastating for our country,” he added.

FUW 2016 Election Manifesto

The announcement by deputy minister for farming and food Rebecca Evans AM that, BPS part-payments of approximately eighty percent will only be made to around 50 percent of farmers by the end of this week, has been described as disappointing but expected by the Farmers’ Union of Wales.

The minister, who spoke at the Hybu Cig Cymru - Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) Royal Welsh Winter Fair breakfast, further said that the vast majority of remaining part-payments will be made as early as possible in the New Year. The balance, or final 20 percent, payment will be made to farmers next April, although a minority of payments - probate cases for example - will take longer.

The FUW acknowledged that warnings have been made in the press repeatedly since June that a delay was likely for many and that part payments would be made.

Farmers will remember the extremely complicated process of completing the Basic Payment Forms coupled with more EU regulations of the requirement of sketch maps – struggles that FUW members of staff have experienced first-hand when helping members fill out their BPS forms.

It has inevitably led to a delay in the processing of forms which is extremely frustrating. As such most of the blame for delays lies with the new European Regulations – not the Welsh Government who have to abide by those regulations.

“Farmers will obviously be extremely frustrated, especially those who have seen a very difficult year and need this cash injection to the farm business now more than ever,” said FUW president Glyn Roberts.

“Nobody wants to have to rely so heavily on these payments but most of the money arriving in the farm account through the BPS will be going straight out to secondary and tertiary businesses.

“That’s why the FUW is calling on the Welsh Government in its manifesto, which will be launched later today to instigate detailed research into Wales’ rural and wider economy and agriculture’s place within it.

“Hundreds of businesses are solely reliant on Welsh agriculture. Look at all the traders and business’s exhibiting at the Fair today. Any delay in the payment of the single farm payment will have a direct impact on these business’s and their employees,” added Glyn Roberts.

However, rather than calling the RPW helpline, which could delay the processing of payments even further, the FUW urges members to respond to any outstanding Welsh Government queries or issues as soon as possible.