Diversification is not something that suits every farm business but the Edwards family of Groesasgwrn, Llangynderyn, near Carmarthen certainly know how to put the talent and skills in the family to good use.

Members of the South Wales FUW Academy, a collaboration of the Union’s Gwent, Glamorgan and Brecon and Radnor branches, recently visited Fforch Farm in the Rhondda, explored the first farm shop in the area and visited micro-brewery Cwm Rhondda Ales, to learn about different ways of diversification. 

Fforch Farm is a beef and sheep farm with 40 cattle and 500 sheep and has been in the Jones family for 33 years. Lynne and Lorna Jones, who have 6 daughters and 1 son, run the farm and farm shop together with their daughters Grug, Caryl, Aneira and son Arwel.

The Wales Land Management Forum (WLMF) established a sub-group in January 2017 in order to focus on tackling agricultural pollution. The membership of the group comprises NFU Cymru, Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW), Country Land and Business Association (CLA), Dwr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW), the Tenant Farmers Association Cymru (TFA), Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC), AHDB Dairy, the Carmarthenshire Fishermen’s Federation (CFF), Natural Resources Wales and the Welsh Government. 

In April 2018, the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs was given a progress report on the work of the WLMF sub-group. 

All those involved have worked collaboratively to help shape the initial recommendations that have been sent to the Cabinet Secretary and are optimistic that they will provide a framework to improve water quality in Welsh rivers in the long-term. 

There is no one silver bullet to solve this problem – the solution is a combination of different changes all of which need to be supported by new ways of thinking. The main areas are:

• A robust regulatory regime
• Developing a voluntary, farmer-led approach to nutrient management
• Ensuring better advice and guidance is provided and can be taken up by farmers
• Improving the range of investment opportunities
• Identifying and promoting innovation 

The WLMF sub-group continues to work  at pace to deliver the recommendations in the report.

Download the report: Tackling Agricultural Pollution

Given the vast task at hand, not least in terms of negotiations and drafting and scrutinising legislation, this is a welcome step towards the more realistic timescale and transition advocated by the FUW since June 2016. Of course, such a transition period still needs to be agreed by the EU, and the FUW maintains that the UK should remain within the Common Market and Customs Union at the end of any such transition period.

The FUW opened it’s door widely to welcome young farmers to its pavilion on the second day of the Royal Welsh Show to celebrate their future and involvement with the industry.

Succession and attracting more young people to the industry is a topic the FUW always felt passionate about and FUW Younger Voice for farming Chairman Darren Williams was enthusiastic about the feedback from the under-40s.

He said: “It was absolutely brilliant to have the younger voices of our industry join us for our networking event and listening to them about their hopes, fears, concerns and ambitions for the future. We need the next generation of farmers to be involved and let us know exactly what they want from their future industry. I thank them for joining us tonight and look forward to working with many of them shaping the future of agriculture.”

Teleri Fielden, who recently got awarded the Llyndy Isaf Scholarship joined the networking event saying: “It’s obvious from today that there are so many keen talented young people wanting to get into the industry. It’s going to be a real lost opportunity if we don’t reduce the barriers holding many of them back. Challenges like Brexit, will require the industry to think outside the box and be innovative. That’s why we must make sure that there are dynamic youngsters to continue farming the land in years to come.

“My parents don’t have a farm, so it was really challenging to try and find a way in. It would be good to see more scholarship schemes, like YFC and national Trust offer, which provide a great inroad to farming for those who may not be able to take over a family farm or who just want to run a farm in their own right.”

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has expressed its concern with the slow Brexit planning process and of the apparent lack co-operation between Governments ahead of the Royal Welsh Show.

“From the very day after the referendum we have been making some very important points time and time again to ensure that farmers and by implication the rural economy are not affected by a badly managed Brexit,” said FUW President Glyn Roberts.

The FUW has since the referendum result called for a sensible exit timetable, the creation of a UK wide framework that respects the devolved administrations and tariff-free access to the EU market.

“So today I must declare my disappointment with the way things have been progressing,” said Glyn Roberts.

Mr Roberts added that there is still confusion about the timetable that will be expected and that UK Ministers are just beginning to talk about transition or implementation periods, recognising that this will take time.

“With only 20 months to exit, this is gaining in importance each and every day. There is no sign of any discussions for the creation of a Framework for agriculture and nor does there appear to be any indication of when these discussions will begin.

“The EU withdrawal bill does not have any sunset clauses to ensure that devolved powers get to the devolved Governments in a timely fashion. Whilst we do recognise that EU laws cannot at the moment be repatriated directly to Cardiff and that some “centralisation” may well be needed to develop new trade arrangements, it is vital that we are clear when the UK Government will transfer powers to the devolved governments. And under what limiting controls,” added Glyn Roberts.

Mr Roberts stressed that; “Our elected representatives must, I repeat must work together to develop answers to high level issues before we can progress in planning for Brexit. We need to understand the detail of a UK home market framework, we need to understand the ambition to support the food and farming industries, we need to know what balance will be recognised in the importance of food production in relation to environmental issues and we need to know who will be “in charge” and by when.

“And of greatest importance, we need to know and be reassured that the 2 governments concerned are working together for the common good. The farmers of Wales operate in volatile markets and we need to ensure that everything is done to ensure that we protect them whilst also delivering to the standards we have come to accept as normal, and deliver for our environmental benefits.”

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