[caption id="attachment_7792" align="alignleft" width="198"] FUW President Glyn Roberts[/caption]

Prime Minister Theresa May’s announcement to call a General Election for June 8, has been met with caution by the Farmers’ Union of Wales.

FUW President Glyn Roberts commented: “We have long been calling for the creation of a post-Brexit UK agricultural framework and we know discussions between UK and Welsh Government  have been frustratingly slow.

“The timing of this election will do nothing to aid progress in establishing a UK framework for agriculture and we therefore urge the Westminster Government not to ignore the critical issues at hand.

“As the independent voice for Welsh farming, the FUW we will of course continue to remind all parties about the importance of the rural economy and why #FarmingMatters and is actively going to engage with candidates about the future of agriculture in the coming weeks.

“The Union will shortly release its own General Election manifesto outlining our expectations and will work throughout the campaign to ensure MPs understand that the future of the rural economy must be a national priority, now and in the years to come.”

This is not the traditional recipe for bara brith, meaning ‘speckled bread’ as the original recipe was based on an yeasted bread. However this version which is widely served, makes a beautifully moist cake as the dried fruit are soaked overnight in tea.

Serves: 8-10 slices  |  Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 1 hour

Ingredients

400g mixed fruit (e.g. sultanas, raisins, currants)

300ml strong hot tea

250g self raising flour

1 tsp mixed spice

100g dark brown muscovado sugar

1 egg, beaten

honey to glaze

Method

• Put the dried fruit in a bowl and pour over the tea, mix in the sugar and stir well to dissolve. Leave to soak for at least 6 hours or overnight.

• Next day, sift the flour and spice into the soaked fruit (no need to drain the tea) and stir in the egg. Blend well together.

• Preheat the oven to 180°C /Gas 4. Line a 900g loaf tin with bakewell paper and pour in the mixture.

• Bake for approximately 1 hour until the cake has risen and cooked through. Leave to cool on a rack and store for 2 days before eating.

• Serve sliced with butter.

• This mixture can be doubled to make 2 loaves and will keep for up to 7 days.

• Warm a little honey to drizzle over the surface of the warm cake for a glazed topping.

[caption id="attachment_7839" align="alignleft" width="300"] FUW Flintshire farmers discussed a wide range of #FarmingMatters with their local Assembly Member Hannah Blythyn.[/caption]

Farmers from Flintshire recently came together to discuss a wide range of #FarmingMatters with their local Assembly Member Hannah Blythyn.

The meeting was hosted by FUW Flintshire member John Worthington at Maes y Groes, Cilcain, where he is the third generation to farm the land.

John, together with his wife Jean and son Gareth, runs a 200 acre beef and sheep farm. They further grow corn for use on the farm and root crops. The farm is also part of the Glastir Entry and Glastir Advanced scheme.

Speaking after the visit, John said: “I would like to thank Hannah Blythyn for meeting us and discussing the many challenges we face as an industry. We raised issues such as lack of broadband, the importance of the rural economy and funding for agriculture post 2020 with her. It gave us farmers a great opportunity to connect with our elected Assembly Member and talk about our hopes and fears. I would also like to thank the businesses who came to support our event, helping us to explain why farming matters so much.”

FUW Flintshire County Chairman Eurwyn Roberts highlighted some of the problems farmers living on the border to England face, saying: “The Wales-England border is three times the length of the Scotland-England border and there are around 500 Wales-England cross border farms.

“Such farms have to deal with additional complexity in terms of different sets of rules either side of the border. E.g. different animal movement rules, different reporting systems, different environmental rules etc.

“Payments to such farmers are regularly delayed by months - usually due to poor Rural Payment Agency (England) performance and consistently place them at a significant disadvantage compared with those who are paid within an acceptable timescales by Rural Payments Wales. Many of those farmer affected may have to borrow money, pay additional interest on loans, and be unable to make the most of market prices buy stock or produce at a time when prices are lower.”

Hannah Blythyn further heard that solutions such as allowing holdings to be treated as purely Welsh from an administrative point of view should be considered.

Following the meeting Hannah Blythyn AM said: “It was good to have the opportunity to hear first-hand about issues affecting farming and rural communities in Delyn. I am committed to working together to secure a sustainable future for farming.”

[caption id="attachment_7836" align="alignleft" width="300"] The scheme offers a 40% contribution towards capital investments in specific types of equipment and machinery[/caption]

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has welcomed the launch of a Farm Business Grant set to deliver £40 million over the next four years.

The scheme will allow farm businesses to invest in key equipment relating to cattle, sheep and pig management as well as general equipment relating to crop management, energy and resource efficiency, and Information and Communication Technology.

FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “The FUW long emphasised the importance of making best use of rural development funding through direct funding of technology which meets economic and environmental objectives, and this announcement is therefore welcome.”

The scheme offers a 40% contribution towards capital investments in specific types of equipment and machinery, with grants worth between £3,000 and £12,000.

Three application windows lasting two months are planned, with the first due to open in May 2017, followed by one in August 2017 and the third in February 2018.

“The equipment for which grants are available is limited to a set list of items, each of which has had to be approved by the European Commission, and as with all such schemes there are a number of eligibility requirements which some will find frustrating.

“Nevertheless, the progress which has been made in terms of getting to the point of launching this scheme is welcome,” added Mr Roberts.

Only one application will be approved per business throughout the lifetime of the Scheme.

Further information on the application criteria and guidance notes will be published by Welsh Government shortly and can be accessed on the Welsh Government website.