Eleven-year-old Anglesey schoolboy Joe Williams beat a strong entry of over 40 competitors at the recent Royal Highland show to win the young handlers championship.

Joe is the son of Farmers’ Union of Wales members Melfyn and Lynne Williams, of Brynsiencyn, and grandson of the immediate past president of the union's Anglesey county branch Huw Williams (popularly known as Huw Bugail).

Entries were in three age sections - under 9s, 10-11 and 12-14. Joe initially was placed first in his age group and won the championship by beating the first prizewinners from the other sections.

Joe travelled to the show with Melfyn and Hugh and his win capped off a superb week for the Penygroes flock with the family business J H Williams & Son also winning the male North Country Cheviot championship.

[caption id="attachment_2515" align="aligncenter" width="639"] YOUNG HANDLERS CHAMPION: Joe Williams with his three-crop ewe from the Llwyncrwn flock of Julie Earl, Carmarthen[/caption]

The Farmers' Union of Wales today repeated its demands for a total ban on Chinese (sky) lanterns after firefighters revealed they believe a huge blaze at a plastic recycling factory on the outskirts of Birmingham was started by one.

"Only six weeks ago the union expressed its disappointment that a government-funded study failed to properly reflect the dangers Chinese lanterns pose to property and livestock," said FUW land use and parliamentary committee chairman Gavin Williams, who farms on Anglesey.

Mr Williams was referring to a study jointly commissioned by Defra and the Welsh Government, and carried out by ADAS, into the risks of sky lanterns and helium balloons to livestock health and welfare; the environment (including litter); fire risk; damage to marine life and consumer safety.

Despite conceding that the evidence they received reflected widespread concern from farmers and others over the dangers of sky lanterns, they failed to support calls for a ban on Chinese lanterns.

After consulting its members throughout Wales, the union received numerous reports of lanterns being found in fields that were being grazed, about to be grazed, or cut for silage or hay.

Other more serious reports received included a lantern found smouldering in a barn containing hay and straw and a cow injured following a stampede started by lanterns floating over fields containing livestock.

"The materials used in the construction of these lanterns pose a danger to livestock, particularly if the wire or bamboo from the frame of the lantern is chopped up during the silage making process and contaminates feedstocks.

“We have also repeatedly warned that sky lanterns pose a considerable fire risk and this latest incident demonstrates why there should be an outright ban on the manufacture and sale of sky lanterns, and that their release should be made illegal in the UK.”

Around 200 firefighters were tackling the blaze today at Smethwick where about 100,000 tonnes of recycling material and a factory unit were set alight.

A familiar face to many North Wales farmers started work for the Farmers' Union of Wales on today (July 1) as its area officer for the Ruthin, Denbigh and St Asaph areas.

Farmer's wife Lowri Evans joins the FUW after working for Menter a Busnes as a facilitator and co-ordinator for the Farming Connect project which involved contact with numerous farmers in the Denbigh and Flint areas.

A farmer's daughter from Betws Gwerfyl Goch, she farms at Bron Haul, Henllan, with her husband Gareth. She graduated from Harper Adams University with a HND in agri-food and marketing with business studies in 2007 when she received the business and marketing student of the year award.

Earlier this year she and her husband were fortunate to gain the tenancy of Bron Haul, a 120-acre council holding.

Lowri's appointment follows the promotion last year of Llanrwst-based area officers' assistant Caryl Edwards to area officer for the Llanrwst and Uwchaled areas.

Originally from Felinheli, near Bangor, Caryl now lives with her family at Pen y Bryn Farm, Llanddoged. A former pupil of Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy, she began her working career with Midland Bank and has some 20 years' experience in the insurance industry.

Lowri and Caryl are taking over the day-to-day running of the FUW's insurance and membership services previously carried out by area officer Gwyn Williams. He said: "Following 40 years' service as an area officer, it's time I take a step back.

"Following continued and regular growth in both membership numbers and insurance business there was an opportunity to increase the number of officers serving the area.

"I am confident FUW members will receive the same level of service and support that provided to them in the past and I will be continuing to support Lowri and Caryl as the need arises."

Lowri and Caryl can be contacted at the FUW's Insurance office, 15 Watling Street, Llanrwst LL26 0LS, tel: 01492 642683/640912.

[caption id="attachment_2509" align="aligncenter" width="294"] Caryl Edwards[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2510" align="aligncenter" width="212"] Lowri Evans[/caption]

The Farmers’ Union of Wales today branded the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) deal agreed by the UK Government as an “own-goal” which will have adverse impacts for Welsh farmers.

Following a meeting of the union’s presidential team which discussed the CAP deal in detail, FUW president Emyr Jones said: “Many of the concerns raised repeatedly by the FUW during meetings with MEPs and Commission officials have led to changes which are a massive improvement on what was originally proposed by the Commission in 2011, for example in terms of changes to greening requirement thresholds which take into account the needs of farms in Wales.

“However, this is against a background of a financial deal which will have severe implications for Wales, particularly in terms of Pillar 2 funding.”

Mr Jones said the UK had given away more of its Pillar 2 allocation than any other Member State despite the UK being entitled to a significant increase in its allocation.

“This, coupled with the abolition of co-funding requirements, means a raw deal for UK farmers compared with our competitors in other countries, and a further movement away from commonality between Member States.

“The UK Government seems oblivious or indifferent to the fact that we are within a common market and that we are therefore supposed to have a common policy. They have, in effect, succeeded in negotiating a net financial loss and flexibility which smacks of the renationalisation of agricultural policy by the back door.”

Mr Jones said the UK’s agreement to allow other Member States to increase their level of coupled support to 13% of their CAP budget’s while arguing for an 8% ceiling for the UK indicated an obsession with pursuing idealistic and unrealistic domestic aspirations without any due regard for the fact that we are part of a common market.

“It is a ridiculous negotiating position when you agree to others having more, but only on the condition that you receive less."

Mr Jones said those who claimed the UK’s settlement would not undermine UK farming and its competitiveness were being extremely naïve or disingenuous.

“It is a bad deal for Welsh farmers and rural Wales as a whole, agreed by a government whose approach to the CAP is no different to that of their predecessors.”