Farmers' Union of Wales' Meirionnydd branch is encouraging farmers with land within Internal Drainage Districts (IDD) to check the accuracy of recent drainage rates bills from the Environment Agency.

County executive officer Huw Jones said the branch had received many complaints from farmers noting that letters received by members included many mistakes with bills showing out of date details of land ownership and its occupation.

Following the complaints, the Environment Agency have now appointed Iwan Foulkes, of Farmers Marts (R G Jones) Cyf, Auctioneers, Valuers and Estate Agents, Dolgellau, to look at the full database of farmers within these areas.

Any queries can now be directed to Mr Foulkes at the Farmers Marts office 01341 422334 or alternatively to the FUW Office at Dolgellau 01341 422298.

Mr Jones, who can be contacted on 07974 795778 at the FUW's stand at Merioneth County Show in Bala today (Wednesday August 24), said: "Around 600 landowners and occupiers benefit from IDD maintenance in North Wales.

"The delay in forwarding bills for drainage works is a result of a whole scale review of IDDs and a consultation on the Flood and Water Management bill by the UK government.

"The Environment Agency have confirmed that further legislative change in this area is still been considered but, in the meantime, it is imperative that they hold correct details for all farmers involved."

[caption id="attachment_4445" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Tidytryc[/caption]

Handling big bales around farm yards and fields is set to be made simpler and more economical following the launch by a Meirionnydd young farmer of the "Tidytryc" handling system which will be on display on the Farmers' Union of Wales stand at Merioneth County Show in Bala tomorrow (August 24).

Twenty-eight-year-old Telor Edwards, from Tyddyn Ronnen, near Llanuwchllyn, used knowledge gained during a mechanical engineering degree at Cardiff University in 2004 to come up with the design and has already a launched a website - www.tidytryc.co.uk - where farmers can view images and a video of the Tidytryc in action.

The new design will save money, time and labour by enabling farms and businesses to purchase and handle large square bales.

Mr Edwards has recently taken over the 260-hectare family farm and his new business will be run, from an outbuilding which forms part of Tyddyn Ronnen farm buildings and dwelling, alongside the farming sheep and beef enterprise at Tyddyn Ronnen.

"At this stage of the business development I will be solely responsible for the manufacture, distribution, selling and marketing of the device with the assistance of my wife, Lindsey, who works as a rural regeneration officer with Gwynedd Council at Dolgellau," said Mr Edwards.

"But I hope that the business will grow from strength to strength as people become aware of the advantages of the Tidytryc."

Mr Edwards received support from Llwyddo yng Ngwynedd - Arloesi to formulate a business plan. The business plan states that the competitive advantages of the device is that it would enable individuals to manually handle and move between 5 - 7 wedges (approximately between 50 - 100 kilograms) of hay or straw around confined feeding areas which will need less handling requirements and be less labour intensive.

There is also an option of being able to attach and detach a draw bar on the device to be towed behind an ATV quad bike, which provides a unique selling point, as there is no similar device on the market.

The device provides the ability to carry a significant amount of fodder feed without the need for any ratchet or winch operation and should provide an opportunity for exporting to other EU countries especially with the emergence of Eastern European countries as milk and meat producers.

The purpose of the business would be to provide a diversified income to the current farming business at Tyddyn Ronnen, with the product primarily aimed at agriculture and equine industries

FUW Meirionnydd county executive officer Huw Jones said: "It is most encouraging to see a young FUW member in the county creating such an innovative design which will be of use to the farming industry. We wish the family all the best in this venture."

[caption id="attachment_4442" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Left to Right:- Farmers Elgan Evans, Dilwyn Evans, Rhydian Evans and Marion Evans, with PC Hefin Jones, PCSO Glenda Jones Adrian Evans, William Evans and Rhys Davies[/caption]

The Farmers' Union of Wales has joined forces with Dyfed-Powys Police, Ceredigion County Council and NFU Cymru to urge rural communities to be vigilant over increasing farm thefts.

This week's Farm Watch launch in the county of Ceredigion will address a variety of issues including livestock thefts and will encourage members of the farming community to be vigilant, pool their inside knowledge and report any suspicious activity to the police.

FUW's Ceredigion county executive officer Adrian Evans said: "Sheep thefts in Wales have escalated significantly in recent years and many of our members have suffered major losses as a result of these.

"Farm Watch is free to join and will help improve communication between farmers and the police in order to reduce the opportunities for crime and vandalism.

"The success of Farm Watch depends upon local farmers and their support and input. We need as many people involved as possible to establish a two-way flow of information where all suspicious activity or crimes are reported. This way crime patterns can be identified and potential targets advised and warned," said Mr Evans.

Dyfed-Powys Police neighbourhood policing team officer Constable Hefin Jones said: "These are serious offences which can have a significant impact on the livelihood of the victims and the rural community at large.

"We are working with our partners to further call on residents to remain vigilant. Where possible, police officers will be stepping up patrols across the local area and making vehicle stops in a bid to provide reassurance to members of the farming community.

"Farm Watch will inform members of recent thefts - and encourage members of the farming community who haven't joined the scheme to get in touch.

"Officers are also urging people who see any suspicious activity in the area to call police as all matters will be fully investigated," added Mr Jones.

Ceredigion Council's senior animal health inspector William Evans said: "Farm Watch will enable officers to advise farmers on issues such as crime prevention and provide access to other partnership agencies who can help with the challenges they face.

"A key issue is animal welfare. This type of crime has a significant impact on the transportation and slaughter of the livestock, which is of a major concern."

The Farmers' Union of Wales has demanded that the new Welsh Government overturn regulations which will cost growing numbers of residents using private water supplies hundreds of pounds per annum.

In a letter to environment minister John Griffiths, FUW president Emyr Jones describes a requirement for local authorities to test private water supplies supplying more than one private residence as 'intrusive and dictatorial', and representing 'a significant and unacceptable cost to Welsh households at a time of major recession.'

Mr Jones said the requirement demonstrated an unacceptable appetite for red-tape and gold-plating EU rules under the previous Welsh government, and has called on the new administration to follow through on its commitments to reduce bureaucracy by applying an EU exemption currently allowed in Scotland.

The Private Water Supplies (Wales) Regulations came into force in February 2010, and must be complied with by 2015. It requires local authorities to undertake 5 yearly risk assessments and regular sampling, at least once a year, of spring water supplied to more than one private residence, with a test being undertaken separately in each residence. The maximum charges for monitoring and sampling are £500 and £100 respectively.

Speaking at the Denbigh and Flint show today (Thursday , 18 August) Mr Jones said: "At the time of its introduction, the regulation was fiercely opposed by the FUW, and we called for an exemption allowed under the EU Directive to be applied allowing private residences to opt out of the regulation where a single water source did not supply more than 50 persons."

The Union claims that the position in Wales stands in stark contrast to that in Scotland, where the government opted to apply the exemptions in recognition of the views and needs of its residents.

"The EU Directive specifically catered for the freedom of individuals to make their own choices regarding the water they drink, and the severe impact a draconian requirement would have in regions such as Wales, where large numbers of private residences rely on spring water.

"Yet the previous Welsh government chose to ignore this provision, demonstrating an appetite for gold-plating EU directives and implementing intrusive and dictatorial rules.

"Many of our members' families have been drinking their own natural spring water for generations with no adverse effects, and are confident that their water is of a higher standard than mains water.

"Now they are being forced to pay vast sums to local authorities for tests and risk assessments which are undertaken against their will. It is very much a big brother scenario instigated by the previous Welsh government".

Mr Jones' letter also highlighted the extra costs that the regulation could represent for local authorities at a time of major cuts to funding.

"I have no doubt that many local authority staff are also appalled at the intrusive nature of this regulation and the possible implications in terms of costs.

"The new Welsh government must act now to show it is capable of respecting the rights of individual families and good old fashioned common-sense," added Mr Jones

Young farmer Tomos Allison's dedication and technical support to the dairy industry in West Wales has helped him reap this year's Farmers' Union of Wales Pembrokeshire branch's Countryside Award.

Tomos, 31, of Sychpant, Rhoshill, Cardigan, was born and raised on a dairy farm and has spent all his life in the agricultural industry. He read applied electrical engineering at Bath University and then returned to the area to pursue his interest in computers and help install and maintain robotic milking systems.

He lives with his parents and brother on the 400-acre family farm with its herd of 170 dairy cows. He also works closely with local vets to maintain computer links between them and herd health schemes used by their farm clients.

One of the judges, FUW county president Dafydd Williams said: "Tomos Allison is clearly very able technically. What he offers obviously provides an essential and profit generating service for modern dairy farmers. He clearly demonstrated an ability to think ahead and identify novel methods of dealing with problems.

"He has developed a system that, for example, records the cows' temperature during milking and creates a report at the end of the milking session which highlights cows with higher than normal temperatures.

This data is then accessed by the vet and alerts them to cows who could possibly be suffering from mastitis. In this way the animal can be treated before any serious signs become visible."

Tomos said: "It is an honour to be presented with this award. Living on my parents' farm I can see the day-to-day struggles they face in the milking parlour and how hard they have to work. I wanted to make their life a bit easier.

"All of the computer programmes I develop are tested on the family farm first. Technology is a tool, no matter in what industry, which can and will improve things and allows farmers to be more proficient in many ways.

"We are all aware that money is tight in the farming industry and especially in the dairy sector. Farmers have to improve their on farm systems to ensure that the business is running as efficient as possible.

"Through new technology, such as herd management software, our farmers can save a lot of time. If you have to enter every bit of information manually it is a very labour intensive process, but with the new software we can streamline the process.

"All of the information is stored in one place and the computer even alerts the farmers if there is a suspected problem."

Tomos was nominated for the Countryside Award by the Nevern Show Committee who stated: "Tomos continues to work on new technology to improve rural businesses and is involved in installing robotic milking parlours. He helps many local businesses and individuals with their IT.

"These are farming businesses, veterinary practices etc. This includes updating and improving computer systems, updating and networking, advising on fire-walls etc.

"In 2010 he also served as the youngest chairman of Nevern Show and has been involved in supporting the Show over many years. He is currently working on a new web-site for us.

"We feel that he is a very worthy candidate for this award."

The Farmers' Union of Wales has written to deputy minister for agriculture Alun Davies highlighting key areas of concern in draft CAP proposals leaked from the European Commission.

The document, when finalised, will lay down the rules for future direct payments to farmers throughout Europe, and could have far-reaching consequences for Welsh farmers if left unaltered, the union claimed.

Speaking at the Pembrokeshire County show (today, August 16), FUW president Emyr Jones said: "This is a very early and incomplete draft Regulation, and our priority at this stage is to take the opportunity to lobby for changes, and highlight to government and Brussels the impact that the Regulations would have on Welsh farmers if left unchanged."

"The Regulation implies that there is limited scope in terms of varying flat rate payments between areas, depending upon local needs. Yet we know from the modelling carried out by the Union over the past two years that having one payment rate per hectare for the whole of Wales would be disastrous, especially in areas such as Pembrokeshire where farms are, on average, smaller, yet can be just as productive as a large upland farm."

The main focus of the document relates to the abolition of the current single payment entitlement system, where farmers' payments per hectare vary depending upon their historical payments, and its replacement during a 5 year transition period with payments per hectare which are identical throughout a region (such as Wales). The union claims that 5 years is nowhere near long enough to minimise disruption, and that much more flexibility is required in terms of varying payments between geographic regions.

Mr Jones also expressed concern regarding the particular implications for dairy farmers, and the dairy industry as a whole, in the absence of a Regulation which takes account of local needs.

"In areas such as Pembrokeshire, where the dairy industry is so important in terms of rural communities and local employment, any move to an overly simplistic flat rate payment based upon the Welsh average could be devastating.

"The dairy industry is already reeling from the impact of high input costs and low milk prices, and a move to a flat rate payment would make many businesses simply unsustainable", added Mr Jones.

Mr Jones was also severely critical of the suggestion that half of all individual payments made in the first year (2014) be based upon the Welsh average payment per hectare.

"We find it incomprehensible that such a figure is being stipulated, and cannot understand why the flexibility which was afforded to areas such as England under the original Regulations is not being suggested in regions such as Wales which opted to keep the historical payment system."

In its response to the minister, the union suggested that proposals to scrap and replace current single payment entitlements 'overnight' constituted anything but a gradual transition towards flat rate payments.

"The approach would presumably mean a business losing all its historical entitlements overnight, and being awarded a new number of entitlements based upon the land claimed in the first year of the scheme.

"This seems like a very awkward way of administering the transition, and it takes little account of the flexibility businesses need in terms of taking on extra land or letting it go from year to year," said Mr Jones.

The Union has therefore suggested a genuine 'soft-landing' approach over a period far longer than five years, during which farmers should be allowed to continue to use the entitlements they currently hold, while those entitlements would gradually fall in value as the element of direct payments based upon a flat rate increases.

"It is important to highlight concerns such as these at the earliest opportunity, and we have also sent a copy of our initial analysis Welsh MEPs and the English minister for their consideration" added Mr Jones.