TENANT FARMERS TAKE THE HELM OF FUW'S MILK COMMITTEE

Flintshire tenant farmer Dei Davies has been elected as the new chairman of the Farmers' Union of Wales's milk and dairy produce committee.

Mr Davies, 61, farms around 100 acres at Moor Farm, Holywell, a county council holding on rent and a further 53 acres as temporary rented land.

Together with his wife, Heulwen, he runs a herd of approximately 110 Friesian milking cows. He was chairman of the milk and dairy produce committee a decade ago, stepping down to be succeeded by Anglesey dairy farmer Eifion Huws in 2004.

Mr Davies left school at 15 but achieved the NCA at Llysfasi College in 1970-71 and was part of the first intake of students to the Welsh Agriculture College in 1971 where he gained his OND.

He has two children, Rhys - a lecturer at Llysfasi College - and Catrin, an eco-schools officer.

He said: "It is a great honour for me to be elected as chairman of this important committee and I look forward to continuing the good work the previous chairman, Eifion Huws, has done for the union and its members over the past seven years.

The committee's new vice chairman is also a tenant farmer. With his wife Dawn, Brian Richards, 49, farms 220 acres at Brynrhyd Farm, Llanedi, Pontarddulais, Carmarthenshire, plus a further 30 acres on seasonal let.

They run a herd of 160 milking cows, mostly Holsteins, plus 120 dairy followers and 12 Belgian Blue store cattle and employ one full-time worker Philip Williams.

Mr Richards, a Llanelli Scarlets supporter, and his wife have two daughters - 20-year-old Cardiff medical student Sara and Catherine, 17, a sixth-form student at Amman Valley School.