Visitors to this Saturday's (August 18) Llanrwst Rural Show will be assured of a warm welcome and a cuppa on the Farmers' Union of Wales stand while they learn about the various topical issues affecting the local farming industry.

They will be asked for their opinions of the decline in upland bird species across Wales after reports of dramatic reductions in many iconic species such as the Curlew and Lapwing.

"Visitors to the FUW stand will have the opportunity to complete a questionnaire on the topic which will feed into a forum that the union's Denbigh and Flintshire county branches will host in the autumn," said county executive officer Rhys Roberts.

"This issue has prompted numerous FUW members to raise their concerns directly with us," he added.

Visitors to the stand will also be encouraged to sign letters of support for dairy producers which they can hand to their local retailer and dairy farmers will be able to complete a Commitment for Change form supporting the proposal to set up a Dairy Producers Organisation.

[caption id="attachment_4005" align="aligncenter" width="300"] BRAVE CLIMBERS: From left, FUW president Emyr Jones receives a £1,754 cheque for Cancer Research Wales from Aled Jones, John Pughe and Nick Fenwick at last Sunday's Machynlleth Country Fair.[/caption]

Six Dyfi valley friends have braved gale force winds to scale Wales' three highest peaks - Snowdon, Cader Idris and Pen y Fan - to raise funds for Farmers' Union of Wales president Emyr Jones' chosen charity, Cancer Research Wales.

While other organised events were cancelled and Cader Idris closed off due to treacherous conditions - gale force winds and low clouds - the intrepid six, including FUW policy director Nick Fenwick, walked on undaunted.

A spokesman for the group said: "The organisers of another event were very sensible to close off Cader Idris, particularly as many of the participants were unfamiliar with the mountain, which can be very dangerous in such conditions.

"Thankfully a number of us are very familiar with Cader and as farmers are very used to this type of weather and terrain. We were determined to see the challenge through in order to raise money for this excellent cause."

The six completed the event in 12 hours and even found time for a slap up lunchtime feed in Machynlleth's Caffi Maengwyn. "We had an excellent meal and drinks free of charge at Caffi Maengwyn, which is always supportive of good causes," said the spokesman.

The other group members were John Pughe (Commins Coch), Aled Jones (Plas Machynlleth Foxhounds' huntsman), Dafydd Hughes (Aberhosan), Tony Powell and Gwion Aeron (both of Penegoes).

However, they all agreed their feat would not have been possible without the support of Huw Jones, also of Penegoes, who provided transport and moral support.

On the journey up Pen y Fan the six were joined by Nick's wife Liz, and their daughters Mori (8) and Myfi (10) who all made it to the peak in record time, despite the weather.

"The exertions of the day resulted in a great thirst being built up by all and no time was wasted in seeking refreshment that evening at some of Cardiff's finest watering holes," the spokesman added. 

"Such was the level of dehydration that some were even seen in the early hours still seeking to quench their thirsts - almost 24 hours after setting off at daybreak up Wales' tallest mountain, more than 150 miles away."

Farmers' Union of Wales member Guy Parry, who farms Gweniniog Farm, Llangwm, near Usk, in partnership with his wife Kathleen today urged farmers throughout the county to be vigilant after the recent theft of several sheep on the farm.

Mr Parry said farmers should take note of anything suspicious they may see happening in the countryside.

His warning follows the theft of 21 Lleyn Cross Welsh Mountain yearlings from his farm on or between July 18 and 19. "They had been specifically bred for flock replacements and their loss has had a significant impact on the planned increase in our breeding flock," he said.

"It is obviously a person with local knowledge and an understanding of farming methods who has carried out this theft as the animals were taken from a field which is away from the main road and there were no signs of how the sheep had been taken."

Mr Parry stressed that all farmers should enrol in the Farm Watch Scheme and the OWL system under which any reports of suspicious vehicles or persons can be reported and forwarded to other members of Farm Watch.

FUW Gwent county executive officer Glyn Davies said: "The theft of these animals is just the latest incident in what has been an alarming rise in rural crimes throughout the county which has been causing the farming community considerable stress as well as having a severe financial impact upon them.

"I would also like to highlight the importance of enrolling for the local Farm Watch scheme as it is only by uniting and co-operating that the whole farming community can combat the increasing spate of farm thefts."

Details of the can be obtained from Mr Davies at the FUW's Gwent County Office at Abergavenny, tel: 01873 853280.

Farmers’ Union of Wales vice president and Carmarthenshire dairy farmer Brian Walters will be a member of a forum discussing the current issues affecting the dairy industry at the Pembrokeshire county show next week (August 14-16).

The meeting, arranged by First Milk, will take place at 2.30pm on the first day of the show (Tuesday August 14) at the President’s Pavilion and all dairy producers are welcome to attend.

Chairing the forum will be Clynderwen & Cardiganshire Farmers Ltd vice chairman Will Pritchard.

Mr Walters said: “This is an excellent opportunity for us to discuss the current situation of the dairy industry. We have seen many changes over the past few weeks and this meeting provides an excellent platform for dairy farmers to come together, evaluate and discuss the position that we as producers find ourselves in.”

The views and opinions of those attending the Denbigh & Flint County Show next week (August 16) will be sought on the reasons behind the reported decline in upland bird species across Wales.

Recent reports highlight dramatic declines in many iconic species such as the Curlew and Lapwing and the issue has prompted numerous Farmers’ Union of Wales members to raise their concerns directly with the union.

Visitors to the FUW stand will have the opportunity to complete a questionnaire on the topic which will feed into a forum the union’s Denbigh and Flintshire county branches will host in the autumn.

In addition, Environment Agency Wales staff will be on the stand throughout the day to promote their free soil testing scheme and to discuss other pertinent issues.

Davis Meade Property Consultants and E-ON representatives will also offer advice on a wide range of issues and provide information about an energy cost savings initiative for FUW members.

Visitors to the stand will be encouraged to take away letters of support for dairy producers which they can sign and hand in to their local retailer and dairy farmers will also be able to complete a “Commitment for Change” form supporting the proposal to set up a Dairy Producers Organisation.

FUW Denbigh and Flint county executive officer Rhys Roberts said: “We are also looking forward to welcoming local AMs and MPs to the stand to discuss topical issues such as milk prices and the CAP reform over a cup of tea.”

[caption id="attachment_3989" align="aligncenter" width="300"] from left: Rhys Roberts, Joyce Watson AM, Geraint Williams, Owain Williams, William Powell and Bethan Jenkins AM[/caption]

Members of the Welsh Government’s Petitions Committee gained an insight into the impact of having a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) designation applied to a family farm when they made a Farmers' Union of Wales-organised visit to a Denbighshire farm.

The committee is currently considering a petition signed by over 40 people calling on the Welsh Assembly Government to overturn the proposed NVZ designation on the basin of Llangorse Lake that is likely to affect approximately 25 farm businesses.

The visit to the 500-acre Vale of Clwyd farm run by Geraint Williams and his son Owain was organised by FUW Denbighshire and Flintshire county executive officer Rhys Roberts who also took part in the discussions.

The committee, made up of four AMs from each of the four main parties and chaired by Mid and West Wales AM William Powell, were told Geraint and Owain Williams' dairy and beef enterprise was designated as a groundwater NVZ some 18 months ago.

Although the family appealed against the designation on the grounds that all the boreholes in the vicinity had nitrate levels significantly lower than the 50mg/l limit prescribed under the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC), their appeal was rejected and they now have to operate within the NVZ regulations.

The committee heard how Messrs Williams had had to employ the services of an independent consultant to calculate and prepare the detailed management plans required for the farm in relation to organic and inorganic manures, both for storage and application, which had resulted in considerable cost to them.

These records have to be maintained annually and adjusted accordingly to take account of weather and cropping changes.

In addition to the onerous record keeping, the farm had also required significant capital investment of about £80,000 to enlarge their existing slurry store to accommodate five months' worth of production and to buy a new slurry tanker complete with an injector system.

Owain Williams praised the Welsh Government for the 40% grant aid they had received for the capital expenditure but also pointed out that the grant application procedure had been very frustrating and time consuming to negotiate and complete.

Geraint Williams thanked the committee for visiting the farm and listening to their concerns and opinions on the NVZ designation while Mr Powell thanked Messrs Williams for welcoming them and giving the committee a valuable insight into the consequences of falling within an NVZ.

Mr Roberts said: “The visit provided a valuable opportunity for both parties to discuss the implications of a NVZ designation. The Petitions Committee members saw at first hand the financial and practical burden an NVZ designation imposes on farming businesses.”