[caption id="attachment_4594" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Dafydd Roberts[/caption]

The Farmers' Union of Wales today welcomed the announcement by the Welsh Government that it will take steps to protect the Welsh egg industry from illegally produced imports.

In order to address animal welfare concerns, an EU-wide ban on the use of battery cages for laying hens will come into force in January 2012.

This means birds kept for laying will no longer be housed in conventional cages and will be subject to minimum housing requirements.

"Welsh livestock farmers and egg producers have invested a large amount of money to ensure the industry complies with the conventional cage ban and general EU animal welfare standards but elsewhere in Europe a large number of producers are not ready, meaning millions of hens will still be kept in cramped cages below even minimum welfare requirements," said FUW livestock, wool and marts committee chairman Dafydd Roberts.

The FUW has long been campaigning for equal animal welfare standards across European Member States and welcomes the move to inspect premises receiving imported eggs directly from these Member States from the beginning of January 2012.

"Under current EU regulations we cannot ban the imports of eggs from other EU Member States but the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency maintains a register of packing centres and wholesalers and this includes details of which premises handle imported eggs.

"Welsh producers are severely disadvantaged if they have to compete with food imports that have been produced to lower standards and as such are more price competitive," said Mr Roberts.

"Focusing efforts on inspecting and checking whether eggs that have been imported into Wales are derived from hens reared in conventional cages is therefore a welcome move.

"It has to be a level playing field and if farmers here in Wales and the UK have to adhere to EU standards so should every other EU country," added Mr Roberts.

The Farmers' Union of Wales today described a series of meetings with MEPs at the heart of decision-making on Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform as extremely constructive.

During a two-day visit, FUW president Emyr Jones, deputy president Glyn Roberts and senior members of the union's policy department met key members of the EU agriculture committee including Portugese MEP and Rapporteur for the CAP reform proposals Luis Capoulas Santos, his shadow Rapporteur for direct payments Mairead McGuinness and Welsh MEPs.

During the high level talks the FUW underlined the significant impact the Commission's proposals would have on farming in Wales.

"Whilst the greening of pillar 1 has quite rightly become a major focus of debate amongst farmers and policy makers, we also used the opportunity to highlight the fundamental problems current proposals to use claims made in 2014 as the basis for allocating future payment entitlements would create in Wales," said Mr Jones.

Discussions on issues such as the need for a realistic transition period from historic to flat rate payments and the need for Member States and regions to have the flexibility to adapt the Regulations to reflect farming practise were also highlighted, said Mr Jones.

"The FUW is now utilising the European Union's 'period of reflection' to actively inform and engage MEPs who have a crucial role in shaping the CAP post-2013, thus ensuring that the major issues of concern to Welsh farmers are fully considered from the very start of the CAP negotiations," added Mr Jones.

Following the statement issued by the Deputy Minister for Agriculture Alun Davies yesterday requesting the farming unions issue a joint statement by the Royal Welsh Show on their views on CAP Reform FUW President Emyr Jones and Ed Bailey, President of NFU Cymru, have issued the following Joint Statement:

"Securing the best deal for Welsh agriculture from the CAP Reform negotiations is the key priority for both Unions. CAP Reform has been an evolving process for some time now and the publication of the European Commission proposals on 12 October was one further step on what will be a protracted negotiating process before final agreement is reached.

As Unions we are involved in a continual process of interpreting the reform proposals and lobbying to take forward the key priorities of our respective memberships. The Unions are committed to representing the interests of Welsh Agriculture in meetings with the Deputy Minister, to the National Assembly for Wales and in response to consultations issued by Welsh Government. We also sit on all relevant CAP Stakeholder groups set up by the Welsh Government to discuss the key priorities for Wales in terms of CAP reform. Just this week the Unions provided oral evidence to the National Assembly of Wales' Task and Finish Group inquiry into CAP Reform.

Welsh Government and the Farming Unions need to be able to react to developments at an EU level whenever that may be. Our views on reform will evolve as the CAP reform process evolves, as the proposals are amended, as revised texts are published and most importantly in the light of what our members tell us. Our respective memberships rightly expect us to be constantly involved in representing their interests, and we will continue to do this up to and well beyond the Royal Welsh Show."

The Farmers' Union of Wales today welcomed the news that 88 per cent of Welsh farmers will receive their single farm payments by December 1.

"We understand Welsh Assembly staff have worked long hours including weekends over recent months and we welcome their efforts to achieve such a high payments completion figure before Christmas," said FUW president Emyr Jones.

The figure was revealed by deputy agriculture minister Alun Davies at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair.

Mr Davies also predicted over 90 per cent would receive their payments by the end of December.

"While praising the hard work of the Assembly staff I also want to praise the unstinting work put in by so many FUW staff in our county offices throughout Wales in assisting members to complete their single payment application forms," said Mr Jones.

The Farmers' Union of Wales has told a Welsh Assembly inquiry into the future of the Common Agricultural Policy that its work should continue until the new CAP is implemented in Wales sometime after 2013.

During todays evidence session, FUW president Emyr Jones said : "By creating this Task and Finish Group at an early stage in the new Assembly, the Environment and Sustainability Committee recognised the importance of the CAP to Wales."

He added : "I trust that the timetable ahead will also be recognised by the Committee over the coming months and years, either through the creation of a full committee and a rolling inquiry, or the establishment of further task and finish groups without losing any expertise gained by committee members during the current inquiry."

In its evidence, the union told AMs that the current proposal to use claims made in 2014 as the basis for allocating future payment entitlements represented a threat for many businesses which was just as concerning as proposed greening measures.

Afterwards, Mr Jones said : "Our initial inquiries with FUW staff who complete thousands of Single Application forms confirm that the 2014 reference year represents a major threat for many, particularly in the tenanted sector."

Mr Jones said the FUW would be attending numerous meetings with EU officials and politicians over the coming days in order to highlight this and other concerns.

"We are committed to doing all we can to get the best deal for Wales' farmers.

"This is why the FUW has been looking in detail at CAP reform and its implications for Welsh agriculture for at least the past two and a half years, and has urged successive Welsh Governments to do the same. That work will continue and accelerate over the coming months."

The winner of the Farmers' Union of Wales £1,000 student bursary scheme will be announced in the presence of the top three candidates on the opening day (Monday November 28) of the Royal Welsh Winter Fair.

The three finalists are 18-year-olds Carys Mair Jones, of Glanbynant, Gwynfe Road, Llandeilo and Ilan Llewelyn Hughes, Erw Fair, Llangwm, Corwen, and 16-year-old Eurof Edwards, Erw Deg, Llangernyw, Abergele, Conwy.

They will find out which of the £700, £200 and £100 bursaries they have won when the judges announce their decision in the FUW Pavilion - alongside the main Royal Welsh Show ring at Llanelwedd - at 11.15am.

All the candidates were asked to outline in no more than 250 words what winning the bursary would mean to them and how it could benefit their future career.

Meanwhile, the FUW stand - alongside the cattle ring in the Livestock Complex Hall 1 - will be a hive of activity.

The winners of an FUW-organised national children's competition to design a Christmas card will be presented with their prizes by union president Emyr Jones at 9.30am on the opening day.

The competition was split into two categories - English and Welsh designs. The criterion for the entries was that they should depict a farming scene with a Christmas theme.

The Welsh category was won by nine-year-old Rhys Williams, a pupil at Ysgol Llanafan, near Aberystwyth. His winning design depicted Santa Claus driving a tractor above a row of sheep.

The winner of the English category is nine-year-old Alex Mary Charman, a pupil at Priory Church in Wales School, Brecon, whose winning picture showed Santa flying into the sky on a tractor pulled by a reindeer.

Both win a £25 Argos voucher plus £100 of Atebol vouchers for their schools.

The judging panel also decided to award five-year-old Gwilym Workman, a pupil at Ysgol Pontsenni, Brecon, with a highly commended prize as they were delighted with his design of a snow man. He will also receive a £25 Argos voucher.

Most of the competition entries will form a colourful centrepiece to the FUW's stand where the public will be able to buy the cards in packs of 10 for £5 with the proceeds going to the FUW President's charity - Cancer Research Wales.

The cards will also be available to purchase from FUW offices around the country or by mail order from the union's head office in Aberystwyth.

FUW members and supporters are also welcome to call at the stand for refreshments where they can enter a draw for a Welsh food hamper, with proceeds going to Cancer Research Wales, and fill in a topical questionnaire to be entered into another draw for a food hamper.

Children will be urged to name a giant Teddy Bear which will take pride of place alongside the stand's traditional Christmas tree.

Free professional advice on issues such as renewable energy, tenancy rights, compulsory purchase and rural property issues will also be available to farmers calling at the stand where chartered surveyors Philip Meade and Eifion Bibby of Davis Meade Property Consultants will be available for a free consultation.