A full house at the Farmers' Union of Wales Flintshire county branch annual general meeting at Rhosesmor Village Hall provided the guest speakers with plenty of challenging and thought-provoking questions.
Christianne Glossop and David Jones gave interesting insights into their current roles as chief veterinary officer for Wales and principal of Deeside College (which includes Coleg Llysfasi and Northop College) respectively.
"With a common theme of Welsh agriculture running through the presentations, it was a reminder of the different challenges currently facing the industry," said FUW county executive officer Rhys Roberts.
"From the ongoing battle with bTB and the newer challenge of diseases such as the Schmallenberg Virus, through to the ever-increasing problem of attracting new entrants into farming in Wales and beyond, Dr Glossop and Mr Jones provided positive evidence on how their respective sectors were tackling these issues, whilst also remaining receptive to members' concerns on what are emotive and sometimes frustrating subjects."
The evening was chaired by county chairman Clwyd Spencer who, in his annual report to members, highlighted some of the issues that have made this year a particularly difficult one for farming in Wales, with a combination of poor weather and increasing costs coupled to the recent battle to gain some semblance of fairness for the dairy sector.
An interesting and informative evening was capped with light refreshments provided by the FUW Flintshire ladies committee when those present had an opportunity to chat with the speakers face to face.