The Montgomeryshire branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) recently joined the DPJ Foundation for breakfast, as part of the Union’s Farmhouse Breakfast week.

The event, which was arranged by local DPJ Foundation volunteers and held at the Wynnstay Inn, Llansilin on Saturday 22 January, was well attended by members and farmers and raised over £600 for the charity.

FUW Montgomeryshire County Executive Officer Emyr Wyn Davies said: “I thank the team at the Wynnstay Inn for the warm welcome and their contribution towards the FUW’s Farmhouse Breakfast Week 2022 campaign.  A big thank you also goes to everyone who supported us, including all the sponsors and also the team who cooked and served all the breakfasts.”

The Caernarfon branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales has done it again and raised a phenomenal amount of cash for charity with its farmhouse breakfast events.

The events, which were held at Siop Fferm a Caffi Abersoch, Sarn Bach, Pwllheli; Fferm Bryn Hynog, Llannor, Pwllheli and Caffi Anne’s Cafe, Bryncir Livestock Market, Bryncir raised over £3000 for the FUW President’s chosen Charity – The DPJ Foundation, and the 2023 Llŷn & Eifionydd National Eisteddfod Crown Fund. 

Despite the Covid restrictions in place the events still managed  to receive fantastic support from all the local communities and money is still coming in.

Trade deals, the US market for lamb and sustainable food production were top of the agenda when Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) officials met with Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office) and Monmouthshire MP David TC Davies and Wales Office representative in the House of Lords, Baroness Bloomfield.

Opening the gates to her farm was FUW member and former Brecon and Radnor County FUW Chair Kath Shaw, who runs a 75 acres deer farm at Blaenhow Farm, near Builth Wells.

Speaking about the benefits of venison as part of the diet, Kath explained: “Venison is slowly gaining popularity as more people become aware of its health benefits such as it being low in fat and high in iron and protein. The food we grow here is produced sustainably and we work with nature in many ways.

The Ceredigion branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales is hosting three breakfast events in February to celebrate not just the sustainable, nutritious food farmers produce every day, but also to get people round the table to talk about their worries, concerns and hopes, as well as wider farming matters.

The breakfast functions, which are open to all, will be held on Wednesday 9 February at Mynach Community Centre, Devils Bridge, Thursday 10 February at Caerwedros Hall, Caerwedros and Friday 11 February at Felinfach Hall, Felinfach.

Breakfasts are £10 per person with proceeds being donated towards the FUW President's charity - The DPJ Foundation.

In response to reports of land being bought up in Wales for the purpose of tree planting and carbon sequestration, the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) hosted a well received webinar on 19 January titled ‘Preventing Wales' Corporate Carbon Land Grab: Balancing carbon, trees and rural communities’.

Chaired by FUW Policy Officer, Teleri Fielden, the webinar gave an insight into the situation in Wales.

As part of Wales’ route to Net Zero, the Welsh Government has set an ambitious target of planting an additional 180,000 hectares (ha) with trees by 2050 and to improve woodland management. This is equivalent to 10% of Welsh farmland.

Mrs Fielden explained that the future value of carbon offsets is also driving afforestation and land purchases. However, the current carbon market is voluntary therefore private companies can purchase carbon credits without having to reduce their emissions in the first instance.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales is once again joining forces with the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) to showcase the important role farmers play when it comes to looking after farmland birds, as well as helping farmers understand what they can do on their farms to protect birds.

Arranging a series of events ahead of the Big Farmland Bird Count (4-20 February), the FUW is jointly hosting a webinar with the GWCT on Tuesday 1 February, at 7pm via Zoom, as well as 2 on-farm information events. 

The North Wales event is held on Thursday 3 February and is hosted by FUW President Glyn Roberts; the South Wales event will be held on Tuesday 8 February and is hosted by FUW Deputy President Ian Rickman.

The Meirionnydd Branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales is putting the spotlight on the future at its annual general meeting which will be held by Zoom on Friday 28 January at 7.30pm.

The theme for this year’s event is “What will sustain our family farms in the future”and guest speakers addressing the challenging question are James Owen, Deputy Director, Land Management Reform, Welsh Government and Dr Prysor Williams, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Management, School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University.

FUW Meirionnydd County Executive Officer Huw Jones said:

“The meeting is held at a time when significant and very important change is coming to the agricultural industry, and many farmers want to know what lies ahead.

A traditional cooked breakfast is one of the best ways to highlight the quality of Welsh farm produce and it is a great opportunity to talk and share your thoughts before starting the day.

To promote the health benefits and enjoy the outstanding food our farmers produce every day, as well as getting farmers round the table for a chat, the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) Brecon and Radnor team is hosting a farmhouse breakfast in aid of the FUW’s Farmhouse Breakfast Week.

The event is held at the FUW Pavilion on the Royal Welsh Showground on Monday 24 January at 9am and is open to all. Though there is no charge for the breakfast,  any donations will be in aid of the mental health charity, the DPJ Foundation.

A traditional cooked breakfast is one of the best ways to highlight the quality of Welsh farm produce and it is a great opportunity to talk and share your thoughts before starting the day.

In order to promote the health benefits and enjoy a delicious meal, the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) Caernarfonshire team is once again hosting a series of farmhouse breakfasts.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales’ Milk and Dairy produce Committee has warned that rising energy prices are not sustainable for the sector.

The warning comes after reports from dairy farmers of energy costs rising by up to £1000 a month, with costs expected to increase further.

Responding to the crisis, FUW Milk and Dairy Produce Committee Chairman Dai Davies said: “The farming sector in general is already under huge pressure. The increase in energy prices, which in some cases have been reported to be an extra £1000 a month for dairy businesses, is a blow for all in the industry.”

Farmers across Wales, who keep sheep and goats, are being reminded by the Farmers’ Union of Wales to submit their annual inventory by 1 February 2022.

The inventory needs to list the number of sheep and/or goats that were owned on each holding (CPH) on 1 January 2022.

The Farmers’ Union of Meirionnydd team and friends of the Union took to the fresh January air and led a special walk around Trawsfynydd Lake in aid of the ongoing #Run1000 challenge.

The challenge, #Run1000, is calling on people to sign up to be part of one of five teams – England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and New Zealand.

The competition takes place from January 1 to January 31, 2022 and will see each team run or walk 1,000 miles, with the nation that reaches the milestone first announced as the winner. 

The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has written to ASDA regarding the supermarket’s decision to step away from its pledge to source 100% fresh British beef just weeks after implementing the pledge.

The letter comes after farmers from across Wales contacted the union to express their anger and disappointment.

The FUW has met with representatives from ASDA on a number of occasions throughout the pandemic to discuss the importance of supporting Welsh and UK producers at a time when global food supply chains were most volatile. 

A traditional cooked breakfast is one of the best ways to highlight the quality of Welsh farm produce and it is a great opportunity to talk and share your thoughts before starting the day.

To promote the health benefits and enjoy the outstanding food our farmers produce every day, as well as getting farmers round the table to share their thoughts, worries and hopes for the year ahead, the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) Glamorgan team is hosting a farmhouse breakfast as part of the FUW’s Farmhouse breakfast week (Monday 17 January - Sunday 23 January).

The event is held at Rosedew farm in Llantwit Major on Monday 17 January commencing at 9am and is open to all. Breakfast tickets are £10 per person, with proceeds being donated to Ty Dewi Sant Penarth and the DPJ Foundation.