In our latest interview celebrating seventy years of the Farmers’ Union of Wales, our Head of Communications, Aled Morgan Hughes interviews Mr Gareth Vaughan, FUW President between 2003 and 2011.
What was the highlight of your time as FUW President?
A significant highlight for me personally was helping secure the Union’s insurance services’ transition towards a broker model. Over previous decades we had been a tied agent, dealing with just one company, which had its restraints. Moving towards a broker model meant we could deal with more than one insurance company.
This transition towards a broker wasn’t always easy - not everyone agreed, but looking back I think it’s been a huge success. It allowed the insurance side of the Union to grow from strength to strength, helping feed the Union’s activities and goals. I also know the transition towards a broker was also welcomed by county officers across Wales, who could offer a wider range of services and prices than was previously the case.
Another highlight was welcoming Prince Charles and Camilla to my farm in Dolfor, Montgomeryshire. He arrived by helicopter, and I was amazed by his interest and appetite for issues involving the countryside. As part of the visit, we had a wide range of FUW members present, as well as local schoolchildren. In particular, I was delighted to have former FUW Presidents H.R.M. Hughes and Myrddin Evans present - I remember Myrddin complaining that it had been a long journey for him, but by the end of the day he was delighted he had come!
I always used to enjoy meeting politicians, too. I was fortunate enough to meet two New Zealand Prime Ministers in my time; one in the Aberystwyth office, and another over lunch in Cardiff before a rugby match, where we discussed the Welsh and New Zealand lamb trade. I was invited to that lunch by the First Minister, Rhodri Morgan, and I always saw keeping a good relationship with politicians as a key element of the job. It’s OK to fall out and show our teeth from time to time, but ultimately we’d only lose out in the long-term if we do that too often.
Politicians aside, I always took great pleasure in meeting FUW members too, particularly the older ones - many of them faced a hard time from the NFU in the early years following the Union’s foundation.
What was the biggest challenge you faced as FUW President?
I was very fortunate to avoid many of the huge challenges my predecessor, Bob Parry had endured - particularly the BSE and Foot and Mouth Disease crises.
One of the main challenges from my time as President that stays in my mind was the loss of the Tir Mynydd payments. Previously the scheme saw upland farmers receive a payment to help manage Less Favoured Areas. The scrapping of the scheme came as a huge blow for many farmers - causing very strong feelings within the sector.
Younger members of the Union were particularly prominent in the campaign to reinstate these payments - I remember a gang from Meirionnydd going down to Cardiff to protest. Ultimately, our efforts were unsuccessful, but I do think it provided an opportunity for the Union to display our voice and strength of feeling.
In your opinion, what’s the biggest challenge facing the farming sector today?
I have been fortunate enough to travel quite a bit over the years, and the challenges facing farmers are the same across the whole wide world - politicians, the weather, and finances.
Currently, the UK Government’s changes to the inheritance tax is clearly a worry for many in the industry, and it’s so vitally important farmers think about succession planning.
As someone who spent a lot of time lobbying in Brussels, I do feel leaving the European Union was a huge mistake. This has done untold harm to the farming sector in Wales, and I do feel we won’t see any real benefit until we revisit our relationship with the EU - although it’s unlikely we’ll return as full members now.
Despite the challenges, I do remain quite optimistic about the future of the farming sector - and have been criticised in the past for being too positive! Ultimately, humans will need good, quality food for as long as they’re on the planet, and here in Wales we do produce the very best food and produce.
Why is the FUW important?
The FUW is critically important. Having more than one farming union here in Wales allows us not only to keep a close eye on each other and the sector’s needs, but it also ensures fresh ideas too. No union has a monopoly on good ideas, and having two unions representing the sector here in Wales certainly strengthens Welsh farming’s hand.
I think it’s also important to remember that whilst traditionally FUW may have represented smaller farms, we’re now a voice for the larger Welsh farms too - and indeed a number of large farms playing a prominent and important role in the Union.
