[caption id="attachment_4478" align="aligncenter" width="550"] FUW members meet Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire AM Angela Burns[/caption]

Farmers' Union of Wales members in Carmarthenshire expressed their concerns at the Welsh Government's failure to drive the bovine TB eradication programme forward when they met Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire AM Angela Burns recently.

"During the meeting we were pleased to hear that Mrs Burns' views on this issue echoed our own concerns," said Ian Rickman, chairman of the union's Carmarthenshire county executive committee.

Mrs Burns told the committee she too was very concerned that the eradication programme had lost momentum.

"There was a moment in time when the Assembly overwhelmingly supported the Government, the chief veterinary officer and the scientists yet a mere 90 days later the new environment minister, who is now the person in charge of animal welfare, called a sudden halt to the programme," she said.

"It's a complete about turn and leaves the dairy farming industry in confusion and concern," added Mrs Burns, who stressed farming must be recognised as an essential business.

Mr Rickman said the union agreed that the main objective of the agricultural industry is food production and maintaining rural family life whilst caring for the environment.

"It is a specialised industry which must be protected," he added.

Mrs Burns also expressed concern that the proposed CAP reform could have a dramatic affect on Welsh farms and that the negotiations needed to be fair to all.

She feared the Welsh Government's decision to put rural affairs under a deputy minister answerable to the Minister for Business and leaving the significant challenge of animal health with the Minister for the Environment would have a damaging effect on farming.

The committee also discussed whether large dairy units were acceptable. It was felt an honest debate must be held between producers and consumers and Mrs Burns accepted that large herds in traditional village farms had to ensure their environmental management was rigorous.

Further discussion took place on a number of other topics such as ground water regulations and the requirement for wider buffer strips near water courses.

Members maintained the countryside has been shaped by farming practices over centuries and if livestock did not graze the uplands there would be a dramatic affect on the landscape.

Mrs Burns felt it was important that production and processing should be kept locally to contribute to the local economy.

Members also raised the issue of the rural road system and infrastructure. They believed funding should be made available to improve rural roads rather than finance improved links between Wales and Heathrow.

[caption id="attachment_4475" align="aligncenter" width="500"] AT THE PUMPHOUSE: From left, Lord Elis-Thomas, Emyr Jones and Tegwyn Jones.[/caption]

The chairman of the Welsh Assembly's environment and sustainability committee Dafydd Elis-Thomas visited a farm in his constituency today (September 14) to see how steep slopes, fast flowing water and a 90-inch annual rainfall help generate power for the National Grid.

Dwyfor Meirionnydd AM Lord Elis-Thomas joined Farmers' Union of Wales president Emyr Jones and other union officials at Talglannau, Mallwyd, an upland family farm run by union member Tegwyn Jones, his wife Catrin and sons Guto and Huw.

In 2001, they built a 93KW hydro electric scheme on the farm which generates enough electricity for about 70 homes and they have now almost completed another 100KW scheme, which will generate electricity for 90 homes. They are also planning a third hydro scheme - a smaller 28KW facility.

Tegwyn said: "Our diversification into hydro-electric generation brings extra income to the farm and therefore enables Guto and Huw to gain employment from the holding.

"I have a passion for generating clean and renewable energy but it is often tempered by the frustrations of working through the logjam of red tape which has greatly hindered our work in developing the hydro schemes.

"Some of these frustrations include the protracted time it takes to get permission from the Environment Agency and the Welsh Government's highways department."

Tegwyn's inspiration in setting up the hydro schemes has been his great interest in the fact that many upland farms had their own schemes years ago.

His grandfather, the late Roland Evans, set up many hydro schemes in the area in the 1930s, including one to serve Dinas Mawddwy village which ran for 30 years. The whole issue of hydro schemes is, therefore, very much in his blood.

Tegwyn's first scheme has now been running for over eight years and the income it produces has given a tremendous boost to the farming operations, with minimal labour input and low maintenance. Much of the work on the power house and pipeline was done by himself with the assistance of a local contractor.

But the one big drawback is that there is no direct power connection for the family's needs. Like everyone else, they have to pay for their electricity.

The family's holdings currently extend to a total of 1,030 hectares comprising Talglannau, Braich Llwyd and Gelliddolen in Mallwyd and a further 205 acres at the recently-purchased farm known as Elgar, Bow Street, near Aberystwyth.

All of the land is farmed organically and stocking includes 750 Welsh mountain ewes and 500 Lleyn ewes. The lambs are sold through live markets or directly to Dunbia slaughterhouse.

A total of 27 suckler cows are also kept with the calves sold as stores in Dolgellau market at 18-24 months.

"Tegwyn can certainly be considered an enterprising and successful farmer and needs to be congratulated warmly on his achievement," said Emyr Jones.

Both Tegwyn and Catrin Jones also have much wider interests and contribute immensely to their local communities. He is also a well known name in bardic circles and eisteddfodau and has composed many outstanding works of poetry.

[caption id="attachment_4472" align="aligncenter" width="500"] From left are Dr McConochie, Jeremy Walker, Emyr Jones, FUW tenants committee chairman David Williams and TFA Welsh regional chairman Dennis Mathesen.[/caption]

Farmers' Union of Wales and Tenant Farmers Association leaders have met to discuss ways in which the two organisations can work more closely together in order to benefit the industry in Wales. 

Following a meeting hosted by the FUW at its headquarters in Aberystwyth, both FUW president Emyr Jones and TFA national chairman Jeremy Walker described the discussions between the two organisations as "extremely positive". 

"The FUW and TFA have always enjoyed an excellent working relationship and share a broad range of key objectives. It can only be of benefit to the industry in Wales for us to work more closely together for the benefit of the industry," said Mr Jones. 

"The TFA has always held the FUW in high regard and I welcome the opportunity to look at how we can work more closely together to complement each others' strengths," said Mr Walker. 

"It is clear from our discussions that the FUW and TFA share a passion to support grass-roots farming families." 

Both organisations have committed to ongoing discussions on how they can work together in the future, and it is hoped this will develop naturally over time. Mr Walker has already accepted an invitation from the FUW to address a special CAP Reform conference it is holding in Aberystwyth on Thursday October 20. 

During the meeting of the two organisations a range of other important topics to Welsh farming were also discussed including CAP reform, bovine TB, new entrants and the importance of ensuring that only genuine farmers have access to future support payments.

[caption id="attachment_4469" align="aligncenter" width="250"] Andrew Nelson,left, and Emyr Jones[/caption]

The crucial importance of good quality grassland in future food production was stressed by Farmers' Union of Wales president Emyr Jones when he attended this week’s Dairy Event and Livestock Show at the NEC in Birmingham.

"It has long been recognised by farmers that grass is the cheapest livestock feed on farms and this still remains the case, particularly for grazed grass," said Mr Jones, who won the British Grassland Society's national grassland management competition in 2008.

Congratulating this year's winner of the competition - Andrew Nelson from Castle Douglas in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland - during the Dairy Event, Mr Jones said: "Whatever production system is used, a well-managed sward will make a vital and cost-effective contribution to milk or meat production.

"Grass is a quality feed that can help dairy farmers achieve 4,000 litres plus from forage.

"Any attempt to reduce the amount of quality grassland on our farms under the latest CAP reform proposals must be vigorously opposed for the sake of food security.

"In the hill farms of Wales growing grass for grazing plays a crucial part of running our family farms profitably and it should be recognised that fertilisers are now creating a much smaller carbon footprint as suppliers make large-scale environmental improvements to their products," Mr Jones added.

Judges of the BGS competition, sponsored by DLF-Trifolium and GrowHow UK, said Mr Nelson shone out as an excellent grassland manager with clear goals and evidence of achieving them.

[caption id="attachment_4466" align="aligncenter" width="400"] “I have kept Welsh Mountain rams ever since I was about 20. I take immense pride and great pleasure improving my flock.”[/caption]

The Farmers' Union of Wales has teamed up with renowned Londoner photographer Chris Clunn to produce a bilingual book of evocative portraits of 61 farmers of all ages living and working on traditional family hill farms in the Snowdonia National Park.

Mr Clunn's previous work has graced many covers and been published in newspapers and magazines worldwide. His images are currently held in the National Portrait Gallery, the Guildhall, the Museum of London, the National Monument archives and various private collections.

He started work on the book, entitled "Meirionnydd", a few years ago after meeting former FUW area officer Elfed Roberts who sold him insurance for a small, run down and derelict stable he has converted into a home at Maentwrog on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park.

"Once the paperwork was done, Elfed left with all the relevant details and a copy of my previous book on the characters of Smithfield meat market under his arm," said Mr Clunn. "Weeks later, he mentioned how much he enjoyed the book and asked if I would be interested in working on a similar project recording the farmers of Meirionnydd.

"I was aware that this was a rare opportunity for an outsider to get to know something about how real rural Wales works. With Elfed and FUW Meirionnydd county executive officer Huw Jones as my guides, this was the perfect introduction to the local farming community, a world of which I knew nothing but was looking forward to finding out about.

"We'll have some real characters for you here Chris, Elfed remarked. He also made me aware that English is very much a second language here.

"So do yourself a favour and at least learn a few words of Welsh - it will help a lot, Elfed added. He was not wrong.

"I hope my photographs go some way into giving an insight into this world of rural farming that I have been fortunate enough to dip into over the last four years.

"I am most grateful to Elfed and Huw, perfect gentlemen with a wealth of knowledge and advice, who have been key in making this whole project happen.

"I couldn't have done it without them and I also offer a very special thank you to all the farmers who have welcomed me onto their land, agreed to have their portraits taken and given this city boy a wonderful education in farming in the old kingdom of Meirionnydd."

FUW president Emyr Jones, who farms near Bala and is the subject of a portrait in the book, said it was a great honour and privilege to be asked by Chris to write a few words of introduction to this unique work.

"During his career, Chris has established a reputation for being able to capture and chronicle the very essence of communities and working lives, and this book confirms to me that he is as capable of doing so in his adopted home of rural Meirionnydd as in his native London.

"Inside the book you will see a portrait of an agricultural society and culture which continues to exist, as it has done for generations, in one of Wales' most challenging and hostile farming landscapes.

"This is the culture I grew up in and in which I continue to be immersed. It is a way of life where agriculture, livestock, and the cycle of the seasons are ingrained in every thought and sentence, and one which I am passionate about protecting.

"It was this passion, and the influence of my late uncle John Jones, Maesywaen, which drove me to become involved in farming politics, and this book gives the reader a glimpse of why my enthusiasm is as strong today as it was all those years ago when I attended my first union meeting.

"While Meirionnydd has its own unique qualities, the type of society captured in these pages extends throughout Wales, from the Welsh-speaking heartlands of the west, across to the predominately English-speaking areas of the south east, where the love of Wales and our agricultural heritage is as strong as it is anywhere.

"Chris has succeeded in capturing something which is so precious, yet so many of us take for granted."

Huw Jones said during the past three years Chris became a regular visitor to the livestock market in Dolgellau, which is considered to be the heart of the farming community in Meirionnydd.

He appreciated the unique qualities of those attending, the farmers who take immense pride in their stockmanship, this being the reason why the market attracts buyers from far afield.

"These farmers make a living in one of the most rugged and harsh environments in Wales, and succeed on difficult terrain and thin soils.

"Chris has captured the simplicity of rural life at its best, his images showing true, honest, faithful characters, hard working, neighbourly and kind, and living close to the land. The farming way of life is that of established families, immensely proud of their heritage and traditions, steeped in history, with the Welsh language and culture close to their hearts.

"They are absolutely determined to protect this rich inheritance for the future and to tackle the many challenges facing the farming community. Chris' images show a deep sense of the overriding importance of continuity and stability on farms and the wisdom and strength of the characters in the book."

The Farmers' Union of Wales has launched a scathing attack on Welsh Government proposals to "gold plate" a new Good Agricultural Environmental Condition (GAEC) on buffer strips next to water courses introduced as part of the Common Agricultural Policy Health Check agreement in 2008.

The FUW believe that proposals to increase the minimum standard imposed by Europe are not backed up by scientific evidence and it feels strongly that the Welsh Government should not seek to gold plate cross-compliance Regulations and adopt a higher standard than the minimum required.

The proposals, which include an option to designate extra wide buffer zones alongside water courses, would also impose an additional level of bureaucracy on an already over-regulated industry at a time when the Welsh Government is allegedly committed to cutting red tape.

"Given the wide ranging description of 'water courses' in the Codes of Good Agricultural Practice, which includes dry ditches and takes no account of the topography or geography of the land in question, the union is concerned that taking an over cautionary approach to buffer strips could have significant economic impacts for farmers in Wales, given the number of 'water courses' in the region and indeed within individual fields," said FUW land use and parliamentary committee chairman Richard Vaughan.

"Over zealous implementation of the restrictions over and above the minimum requirements will mean that a large proportion of buffer strips in Wales would be ineffective, whilst the impact on the viability of farm businesses may be substantial.

"Apart from some discrete areas in Wales, Nitrates are not a major problem. Point source pollution is best dealt with at catchment level rather than by a blanket approach which penalises all farmers," added Mr Vaughan.

"Whilst accepting that the new rules coming into force in January 2012 are not up for negotiation, the union is concerned that the Assembly is even considering more arduous requirements to tackle so-called diffuse pollution, as opposed to dealing with the issue in a pragmatic and proactive way through targeting those areas where there is deemed to be a problem," said Mr Vaughan.

The union believes that tackling diffuse pollution through advice, awareness raising and encouraging good practise is far more productive than the use of blunt tools of cross compliance and increased regulation.