[caption id="attachment_4199" align="aligncenter" width="300"] From left, FUW president Gareth Vaughan, Scarlets’ players Salesi Finau and Scott Quinnell with 15-month-old 600kg Welsh Black bull Gwarcwm Aron 23rd, Trevor Jones and past FUW president Bob Parry before the Heineken Cup match against Perpignan in 2003.[/caption]

A Welsh Black bull will be paraded around the pitch when the Scarlets entertain Ulster in a televised Magners League rugby match at Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli, on Friday evening February 18.

The event will be a repeat of two previous parades by Welsh Black bulls on the Scarlets' former Stradey Park pitch before Heineken Cup matches against Colomiers in 2001 and Perpignan in 2003 to draw attention to the prolonged French ban on UK beef imports following the foot and mouth disease outbreak exactly 10 years ago.

This time the bull will be the highlight of a unique occasion when the Scarlets team up with the Farmers' Union of Wales to provide a special farming theme at the stadium before Friday evening's match.

The bull will be supplied by FUW stalwart and past Welsh Black Cattle Society president Trevor Jones and his son Huw, of Bow Street, near Aberystwyth.

They have won scores of top prizes and championships at numerous agricultural shows since 1960 including the Royal Welsh show, Pembrokeshire show and the former United Counties show.

Among other events planned before the Ulster match are a display by Meirion Owen’s Quackpack, farm livestock displays, milking a life sized model of a cow and YFC mascots Tiff and Taff kicking goals in wellies.

The Scarlets’ Supporters Village will also house a farmers' market with plenty of local produce on offer. A few spaces remain available for local farmers to set up a stall and they should contact Scarlets' communications officer Nerys Jones on 01554 783910 or 07970 601597 for details.

And in a special promotion with the Scarlets, FUW members can obtain half price admission to the match (£10 for adults, £5 for children) on presentation of a voucher - printed on page 2 of the February issue of the union's "Welsh Farmer" newspaper - which is valid up until the 7.05pm kick-off.

FUW president Gareth Vaughan said: “We are very pleased to be taking part in this special farming theme event. Let’s hope the Welsh Black bull will give the Scarlets more luck than they had at the Bull Ring in Perpignan during last month’s Heineken Cup match!”

Scarlets commercial director Rupert Moon said: “I am delighted to be working again with the FUW after I was involved with them when I worked for the WRU and a Welsh Black bull was paraded on the Millennium Stadium before the Wales-All Blacks match in November 2006.

"That was a great advert for the quality of Welsh livestock which was seen across the world and I'm sure our special farming theme for the televised match against Ulster will boost the profile of farmers throughout Wales once again.”

[caption id="attachment_4196" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Minister address FUW land use committee – from left, Richard Vaughan, FUW deputy president Emyr Jones, David Jones, President Gareth Vaughan[/caption]

The Farmers’ Union of Wales’ land use and parliamentary committee today had a full and frank discussion with parliamentary under secretary for Wales David Jones about concerns over the UK government position on the CAP reform and other rural issues.

Committee chairman Richard Vaughan said: “We had far-ranging discussion with the Minister which included concern at the UK Government’s position on the CAP, the impact of fuel duty on rural areas, the need for Broadband to be rolled throughout Wales and the power of the supermarkets.

“It is vital that the government carefully assesses the impact any monetary policy has on the rural economy as costs are generally higher in rural areas.”

On the proposed CAP reforms, Mr Vaughan added: “If the government wishes to address food security, it must ensure fair returns for farmers, either through the CAP, or from the markets and needs to tackle the imbalance of power in the supply chain.

"Failure to recognise this will decimate our food security and lead to massive social, economic, and environmental upheaval,” added Mr Vaughan.

The majority of small and medium-sized slaughterhouses in Wales could close if their operators are forced to pay for bureaucratic and costly meat hygiene inspections, the Farmers' Union of Wales fears.

The union has consulted its 12 county branches on the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) move towards the full cost recovery of meat hygiene controls at slaughterhouses and found members unanimously objected to the proposals.

"There seems little doubt that the proposals will make a significant number of small and medium-sized slaughterhouses uneconomical to run as many premises estimate large increases in inspection costs," said FUW president Gareth Vaughan.

"This would result in the closure of a significant number - possibly the majority - of Welsh premises."

FUW staff have also approached slaughterhouse owners within their regions and the majority stated that if the new charging regime is introduced their businesses would be seriously threatened.

"The union has also contacted a number of slaughter industry representatives and the majority believe the proposals, if adopted, could lead to most Welsh slaughterhouses becoming uneconomical," Mr Vaughan said.

The union stressed - in its response to the FSA's consultation on the proposals - that the slaughterhouses most threatened by the proposals are those which supply independent meat outlets, such as butchers, and their closure will therefore severely undermine those outlets.

"It is estimated over 50% of cattle, 70% of sheep, 25% of pigs and 40% of poultry are slaughtered in independent, small and medium sized plants,” said Mr Vaughan.

"The proposals will undermine independent businesses and play straight into the hands of the major supermarkets, which are already too dominant over the supply chain.”

He added that farmers throughout Wales had been encouraged by Government to diversify into supplying niche and organic markets that rely on the local slaughtering of animals.

"Many of those who buy from local butchers do so because the meat they are buying is locally produced and slaughtered, and has travelled minimum distances,” said Mr Vaughan. “The closure of small and medium sized plants will therefore severely undermine these markets.

"The closure of slaughterhouses will increase the carbon footprint of meat produced and marketed in Wales, which is in direct contradiction to Government policies.

"The proposals represent a significant threat to rural employment, both in terms of those employed in slaughterhouses, and those who work in related premises such as butcher’s shops."

The union's response added that during the 2001 Foot and Mouth disease outbreak, local slaughterhouses played a crucial role in reducing the risk of the disease spreading by ensuring animals didn't have to travel significant distances to slaughter.

"They also played an important role in providing premises where animals could be locally slaughtered," the submission stressed.

“The closure of such premises would undermine the future contribution of the slaughter industry to disease control and animal welfare.”

In conclusion, the union’s response advocated a reduction in the regulatory requirements leading to proportionate inspections, coupled with an efficient regime, the recognition that it is inequitable to ask the industry to pay for unreasonable overheads, and a return to headage charges as a means by which to “significantly mitigate the catastrophic consequences of what is proposed”.

[caption id="attachment_4191" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Gwynfe show presidents Hugh and Mary Davies flank Ian Rickman - left - and Gwynfe show chairman Steve Jones[/caption]

Farmers' Union of Wales life member John Price FRAgS, who died last summer, will be remembered every year when a cup presented by the union's county branch in his memory will be awarded at Gwynfe Show in Carmarthenshire.

Mr Price, of Ddafadfa Isaf, Gwynfe, near Llangadog, was chairman of the show when he died, aged 72, at Glangwili Hospital, Carmarthen, on Tuesday July 6 2010.

He ran a 144-acre hill farm where he kept beef cattle and sheep and rented 66 acres of land with grazing rights on the Black Mountain.

After leaving school in 1953, he worked on the family farm with his late father until 1968 when he went to assist with the running of the Earl of Ducie's estate in South Gloucestershire. He returned to Ddafadfa Isaf in 1981.

After serving as club chairman of Gwynfe YFC in 1960 and secretary of the East Carmarthen Lamb Group, he started taking part in FUW activities in 1983 when he became Carmarthenshire county delegate on the union's national livestock, wool and marts committee and maintained regular attendance until his death.

He was the committee's chairman from 1991 to 1996, Carmarthenshire county executive committee vice chairman and chairman from 1989 to 1993 and county president from 1993 to 1995.

Between 1993 and 2004 he represented Carmarthenshire on the South Wales regional committee of the British Wool Marketing Board and served as its chairman in 1994-95. From 1991 to 2002 he was a member of the National Sheep Association's Wales committee.

He was chairman of Gwynfe Show committee twice (1997-1998 and 2003 until he died). In 2003 he was made an Associate of the Royal Agricultural Societies (ARAgS) for his contribution to farming and the rural community and became a Fellow in 2008.

He was made an FUW life member in 2007. During a recent function when the memorial cup was handed over, FUW county chairman Ian Rickman said John was a strong supporter of Gwynfe Show, having been chairman and a member of the committee for many years.

"For this reason the FUW decided to donate this cup in his memory to Gwynfe Show."

Carmarthenshire farmers will hear the case for and against whether the Welsh Assembly should gain more law-making powers on Monday evening, February 7, at a meeting of the Farmers' Union of Wales county executive committee at the Railway Hotel, Nantgaredig, starting at 7.30pm.

Speaking on behalf of the "Yes" campaign is Carmarthen property agent Selwyn Runnett and speaking for the "True Wales No" campaign will be farmer James Powell, of Llangynidr, Crickhowell.

The national referendum on the issue will take place on Thursday, March 3.

[caption id="attachment_4182" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Joyce and Gerallt with one of their Welsh pigs which won the class for a pork pig 55kg to 65 kg and then went on to win the overall supreme single champion at the 2007 Royal Welsh Winter Fair.[/caption]

A Carmarthenshire couple well known for breeding prize-winning Welsh pigs has found a ready market for their pork on the doorstep.

Joyce and Gerallt Owens of Lletty Farm, Llannon, near Llanelli, have been farming pigs for well over 20 years on their 65-acre farm but only started supplying a local farm shop and grill at Cwmcerrig, Gorslas, seven miles away after it opened early in February 2009.

"We now supply pork to Cwmcerrig fortnightly as we both enthusiastically support the Farmers' Union of Wales' long-running 'Help Cut Food Miles - Buy The Welsh One' awareness campaign," said Mrs Owens, who also works as an administrative assistant at the union's county branch office in Carmarthen.

"We usually supply around four to six pigs every two weeks to the farm shop but over the Christmas period, that figure more than doubles to 15 pigs. We are very happy with the steady flow and hope to keep this going for quite a while," added Mrs Owens.

The couple's enthusiasm for breeding and showing pigs has a long family history. She said: "We met first of all through my parents keeping pigs and taking sows to Gerallt's home for service to the boar.

"Eventually we got together through the YFC dances - but the love of pigs did start the ball rolling."

The couple received two Welsh pedigree sows from Gerallt's father after they got married and they started competing at shows soon afterwards.

Previously Mr Owens and his father had been exhibiting pigs for many years. Gerallt was seven when he started showing at the Royal Welsh Show and he and Joyce have also exhibited at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair every year since it started.

They have won numerous championships and prizes at both events and many other local shows.

In addition to the 100 weaners and porkers, including 12 sows and two bores they currently keep they also have 200 sheep and three suckler cows on the farm.

The pigs are taken just 16 miles to be slaughtered at the family run abattoir of Hugh Phillips, Gower Butcher, Wern Fabian Farm, Llanmorlais, near Swansea, after they reach a live weight of about 60 to 65 kg at roughly 16 weeks of age.