Welsh farmers are being encouraged by the Farmers' Union of Wales to provide feedback about the scoring system the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) has set to gain access to its new Glastir land management scheme.

WAG has just published the documentation for the All Wales Element of the scheme - including the scorecard and guidance, Whole Farm Code and the All Wales Element Options - which can be found on the FUW's website at www.fuw.org.uk

The Scorecard has been developed as a guide to assist farmers in selecting the options available to them to complete on the farm. It will also determine the threshold number of points required to access Glastir based on the size of the farm and whether it is part of the Organic Scheme.

Once the chosen options which the farmer wants to or is able to complete have been added, the Scorecard will determine if the farm has accrued sufficient points to enter Glastir.

"The union is encouraging all its members to have a go at completing the Scorecard to ascertain how accessible Glastir actually is to farmers. We are also encouraging them to feed the results back to their county office," said FUW land use and parliamentary committee chairman Richard Vaughan.

"The feedback is vitally important to the union so that it can understand whether particular sectors are having difficulty in earning sufficient points to enter the scheme.

"This information can then be used as evidence to the Welsh Assembly Government on the accessibility of the scheme to its members."

The Farmers' Union of Wales has linked up with Environment Agency Wales to help Welsh farmers manage their agricultural waste better.

Recent research suggests Welsh farmers need more assistance with the problems of dealing with farm waste and a useful learning tool is now available in Welsh and English by clicking on the "Farm Waste No Bull" link on the FUW's website: www.fuw.org.uk

FUW president Gareth Vaughan said a recent "SME-nvironment" report by environmental guidance website NetRegs.gov.uk reveals the problem is farmers' recognition of specific waste regulations rather than compliance.

"The Hazardous Waste and Duty of Care regulations were both found to be misunderstood by farmers," he added. "Many had not heard of these regulations (Hazardous Waste 27 per cent and Duty of Care 27 per cent), meaning that they aren't taking advantage of specific support available to help them meet these rules.

"The research also reveals that while a third of farmers store agricultural waste on site, many do not recognise the important legislation which determines what can be stored, for how long and where permits are required. This research points to a need for clearer communication and support for farmers in recognising and so managing waste regulations."

The Environment Agency's NetRegs website is also seeking to clear up the confusion with its relaunched Learning about Agricultural Waste tool at: www.netregs.gov.uk/farmwaste

It provides the farming community with seven simple subjects for battling waste - including guidance on Hazardous Waste, Duty of Care and on-site storage and transport. It also details legislation specific to Wales.

Environment Agency in Wales land quality policy and strategy manager Simon Neale said: "Farmers' resources are stretched, particularly in the current climate, but we know that investing in environmental compliance can save rather than cost money.

"The good news for farmers is that the NetRegs' report reveals many in the agricultural community are already seeing the financial rewards of more effective waste management, through reduced operating costs and a more motivated workforce.

"We talked to farmers on the ground to find out what they would find helpful and our Waste Tool has been developed based on their feedback. The result is a single online access point to all the necessary information on waste legislation and we hope it's going to really help farmers."

The Farmers' Union of Wales has told Welsh Assembly Rural Development Sub-Committee members that the implementation date of the new Glastir land management scheme should be delayed by 12 months and the schemes it replaces should be extended for the same period.

The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) intends replacing Tir Mynydd, Tir Gofal, Tir Cynnal and the Organic scheme with the Glastir all-Wales land management scheme later this year.

But during an evidence-gathering session at Dolgellau, the chairman of the FUW's Land Use and Parliamentary Committee Richard Vaughan told the Rural Development Sub-Committee farmers had not been given enough time to consider the implications of Glastir on their businesses before the application window opens.

"Feedback from farmers who have participated in the pilot scheme suggests that Glastir is not as easy to enter as is being suggested by the WAG," said Mr Vaughan.

"The FUW believe that the scheme needs to be fully piloted before being rolled out and we have already made representations to the rural affairs minister Elin Jones to defer its implementation.

"The scheme should not be rushed out to meet an Assembly Government timetable which may result in the need for its early review if farmers don't enter the scheme.

"We do not see why the scheme is being rushed through and we have pressed home the fact that it should be deferred so that it can be put together with thought and utilising the practical experience of the unions to ensure it is workable and realistic.

Mr Vaughan added that the FUW doubts whether the Assembly's divisional offices will be able to cope with farmers' applications and interviews in 2010 and believes WAG has severely underestimated the ability and knowledge required by farmers to develop their own plans by the time they go to interview.

Farmers' Union of Wales members have given their overwhelming support for an EU dairy fund distribution that favours smaller dairy producers.

The EU agreed in December 2009 to allocate €300m to help the European dairy sector which has been severely affected by low milk prices. Wales's share is believed to be around £3m.

Following a meeting of the FUW's milk and dairy produce committee in Aberystwyth, chairman Eifion Huws said: "The consultation was considered by the FUW's 12 county branches and by the union's milk and dairy produce committee.

"The overwhelming majority of members agreed that Wales should opt for a payment of 0.5 pence per litre (ppl) on the first 100,000 litres of production plus an estimated payment of 0.15ppl on production over 100,000 litres. This would target smaller businesses which, on average, have a lower profitability per litre.

"Members acknowledged the fact that all dairy producers had suffered as a result of low farmgate prices and high production costs, and that the profitability per litre was highly variable between farms.

"However, it was agreed that, on average, smaller producers had higher production costs and were, by definition, unable to benefit from production bonuses and other production related advantages.

"We are hardly talking about large sums of money here but the fund will, nevertheless, provide some relief for struggling dairy producers, and the union is firmly in favour of directing support where it is most needed."

The Westminster government's decision to scrap rules allowing holiday accommodation owners to claim certain tax benefits was strongly criticised when a Farmers' Union of Wales delegation from Caernarfonshire met their local MP and the Welsh rural affairs minister.

MP Hywel Williams and the Assembly minister Elin Jones discussed various issues with the delegation during a visit to the Betws Garmon farm of Dewi and Bethan Roberts to see how a young farming couple with three daughters had invested heavily to create holiday accommodation sleeping nine at the farmhouse and a further seven in a nearby workshop.

Benefiting from Wales Tourist Board funding, they also installed a hot tub to offer visitors something different to the usual holiday accommodation.

But their decision to complete the work this year - in a bid to secure exemption from the Chancellor's decision to repeal the Furnished Holiday Lettings (FHL) rules - has resulted in cashflow consequences.

The FUW delegation included the county's representative on the union's farm diversification committee, farmer's wife Anwen Jones, who lets out four holiday cottages at Bettws Bach farm, Rhoslan, near Criccieth, and has already raised the issue with Meirionnydd Nant Conwy MP Elfyn Llwyd.

"We again explained to Mr Williams and the minister how the scrapping of these taxation benefits will seriously affect the income of many FUW members who have diversified into letting out holiday accommodation," said the union's Caernarfonshire county executive officer Gwynedd Watkin.

"We repeated our previous demands on the Chancellor to change his decision, announced in last April's Budget, to scrap the rules which allow losses from FHLs to be offset against other income."

Mr Watkin said the delegation also demanded a curb on harsh cross-compliance penalties recently handed out to farmers which were often disproportionate to the "crime" - especially when a genuine mistake, with no financial gain, had occurred.

"We presented the minister and Mr Williams with a number of cases where farmers had been 'fined', ranging from £1,500 for a basic administrative error to over £90,000 for a planning issue involving 'possible' damage to an ancient monument.

"In the latter case, if the farmer had not been claiming subsidies, the maximum he could be fined by a court is £40,000. It is not right for farmers to be disproportionately penalised so heavily."

The delegation also discussed issues concerning the forthcoming Glastir all-Wales agri-environmental scheme. "Many frustrations were vented with regard to the lack of detailed information about the qualifying criteria and the minister assured us that more information will be forthcoming in the future," Mr Watkin added.

THE Farmers' Union of Wales today welcomed the Welsh Assembly Government's decision to extend the relaxation of rules on supplementary feeding to 28 February 2010.

Reacting to the news, FUW president Gareth Vaughan said: "I am glad that the government has listened to our calls and that common sense has prevailed.

"The significantly colder winter has brought with it animal welfare concerns for livestock farmers.

"With more freezing weather expected this announcement couldn't have come at a better time as it will allow farmers to give additional feed to their livestock during this cold period without risking unfair penalties."

On 15 January 2010 livestock farmers were advised by WAG that they would be able to give their livestock additional feed to help maintain animal welfare during the period of cold weather.

It was announced at that time that the relaxation rules would remain in force until 31 January 2010 unless severe weather conditions persist but due to the prolonged severe weather conditions the relaxation of the supplementary rules has now been extended until 28 February 2010.

Farmers seeking further information should contact their local Divisional Office.