Welsh farmers' strong objections to EU plans to introduce electronic identification (EID) of sheep next year were hammered home in Brussels today by FUW deputy president Emyr Jones.Mr Jones and other representatives of Fairness for Farmers in Europe (FFE) outlined their strong objections to EID to the EU’s Directorate General for Health and Consumer Affairs (DG SANCO) which is responsible for introducing it on December 31 this year.

"We made it clear to Alberto Laddomada, DG SANCO’s Head of Unit for Animal Health, that there is now an almost unanimous acceptance across Europe that EID technology has serious problems associated with it in terms of implementing it on farms and in markets and slaughterhouses.

"I believe it is like forcing people to drive cars that have failed their MoTs. That is completely unacceptable when we are talking about animal health and welfare and disease control, not to mention the financial consequences of forcing people to use a costly technology that is not fit for purpose."

Mr Jones said recent statistics show sheep numbers in Wales fell by around 10 per cent between 2007 and 2008, while total EU sheep production fell by around 2.5 per cent during the same period.

"For many producers this regulation is likely to be the final straw, resulting in further reductions in flock sizes which in turn threatens the viability of the entire supply chain, especially in Wales," Mr Jones added.

Nominations are being invited for the Farmers’ Union of Wales Pembrokeshire branch’s 2009 Countryside Award which recognises the achievements of younger farmers in the county.

To be eligible for the award the nominee must be 40 years of age or under on January 1, 2009; actively involved in agricultural production or land management; and normally resident within Pembrokeshire.

"To ensure the future of the industry, it is essential that we acknowledge the hard work of younger farmers during these difficult times and nurture them," said county chairman Dafydd Williams.

"In presenting this award we hope that the determination of the younger generation of farmers in the county will be highlighted and applauded," he added.

A cash prize, perpetual trophy and a year’s free FUW membership will be awarded.

Further details and nomination forms can be obtained by telephoning the Pembrokeshire FUW Office on 01437 762913.

All nominations must be submitted by Friday, May 22, 2009.

The award has gained greater importance since Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones launched a consultation on support for young farmers at last year’s Royal Welsh Show.

She said all sectors need young people to bring new ideas, energy and enthusiasm, and farming is no exception.

Encouraging young entrants to the industry can not only bring innovation and enthusiasm to farming, but it is also important in sustaining rural communities and the Welsh culture.

The publication of the consultation meets a One Wales commitment to support young entrants to farming, and includes proposals on how to use £2m of funding available from 2010 to best effect.

Ms Jones added: "Young entrants to the farming industry represent the future. Removing the barriers that young entrants face and supporting them as they set up their business has been a priority for me since I became Minister, and I am pleased to be publishing this consultation.

"I want it to be a topic of discussion and I want people to be looking towards the future of the industry. There are a number of ways we can provide support for young entrants including providing advice on marketing and business plans; one-to-one mentoring; encouraging joint ventures with established farmers to assist with succession and assisting with the issue of access to land and housing.

"Of course, there are challenges facing the industry, which is why it is vital that young entrants have the support they need to face up to these. They have a crucial role in the future of our food and farming industry and in maintaining the fabric of our rural communities."

Last year’s winner of the FUW award, 36-year-old Robert Vaughan, was recognised for his enthusiastic devotion to diversification on his family’s three farms high in the north Pembrokeshire hills.

Presenting him with the trophy in the main ring at last August’s Pembrokeshire County Show, Mr Williams said the award was originally launched to recognise younger farmers bucking the trend and continuing to work in the county’s agricultural industry.

"Robert is a fine example of someone dedicated to working in agriculture within the county and he is a very worthy winner."

Robert runs a herd of 200 Longhorn cattle and a flock of 1,000 pedigree Lleyn and Welsh Mountain ewes on the family’s Carn Edward group of traditional Welsh hill farms in the Gwaun Valley in north Pembrokeshire.

The farms - Penlan Uchaf, Llanerch and Penrhiw - encircle the Carn Edward stones on Carningli Common and his decision to start selling beef in boxes over three years ago has led to his recognition by the FUW.

The current bovine Tuberculosis (TB) valuation and compensation systems are an integral part of Welsh TB controls and should be retained but irresponsible behaviour should be penalised, says the Farmers’ Union of Wales.

In its response to the Welsh Assembly Government’s consultation on bovine TB compensation arrangements, the FUW argues it is wrong to penalise herd owners for cattle contact with infected wildlife, when successive governments have introduced legislation that has led directly to a massive increase in the numbers of TB susceptible wildlife.

Today FUW vice president Brian Walters said: "Given that scientific studies have attributed high-risk spread to protected wildlife, it would be completely unfair to punish farmers for a problem that has been created by past governments.

"The FUW agrees that compensation should provide an incentive for good practices, but only where such practices have been shown statistically to be effective in reducing incidences of bTB, are practical and affordable, and relate to factors which are within the direct influence and control of the herd owner."

The response also highlights the ambiguous findings of past studies of biosecurity measures. "All farmers should remain vigilant and, wherever practical, take steps to minimise the risk of disease transmission.

"However, scientists have concluded there is no universal solution for farm management to reduce the risk of a herd becoming a TB breakdown, as risk factors can change from year to year and be different from region to region.

"Measures that link compensation to biosecurity measures must therefore be statistically relevant and within a farmer’s control."

The response also brands proposals to publish details of compensation paid to individuals as "fundamentally wrong".

Mr Walters said: "In terms of the financial and emotional impact of bTB for Welsh herd owners, studies by the University of Exeter have shown that the value of cattle slaughtered is around 66 per cent of the total cost of a breakdown, and that the disease effects economic performance and growth of farm businesses, while causing serious stress for farm families.

"Herd owners who receive compensation due to bTB do so as a result of circumstances that are beyond their control. They do not volunteer or apply to receive such payments, and have no control over the size of an outbreak.

"Due to the complexity of issues that relate to bTB breakdowns, such as disease vectors, the nature of farm business structures and the industry as a whole, and the consequential losses incurred by businesses, most members of the general public will never be in a position to view payments made to individuals in the context of the net losses suffered, and the extreme emotional stress that TB places on families.

"Above all else, since the publication of details of individual payments will have no impact on incidences of bTB, the FUW fails to see why this proposal should form part of a programme of activities aimed at eradicating bTB in Wales.

"The implication that the publication of compensation details could contribute to bTB control is no more valid that the assertion that publicising the wages of public servants would encourage them to take a more proactive approach to controlling endemic diseases."

The Farmers’ Union of Wales today renewed its call for processors and supermarkets to stand by the dairy industry following a further spate of farmgate milk price cuts.

The union’s milk and dairy produce committee chairman Eifion Huws expressed his bitter disappointment, stating that for some farmers the big reductions in price could be the last straw.

"During the last month we have seen processor after processor announcing price cuts and today’s announcement by the Dairy Farmers of Britain (DFB) co-operative that they are cutting 2.2ppl off their milk price from April 1 will shatter confidence for many producers.

"Farmers are at the end of their tether and it is therefore vitally important that processors and supermarkets stand by the industry at this difficult time."

A new DairyCo report disclosed worrying statistics with 14% of dairy farmers stating they intend to leave the industry within the next two years and only 18% stating they have the confidence to expand their businesses.

"The gap between farmgate prices and the price consumers pay at the supermarket is ever growing and this is undermining farmers’ confidence in the industry," added Mr Huws.

"UK milk production is at its lowest level for 34 years and therefore processors and supermarkets alike must pay a fair price to farmers in order to avoid a further fall in milk production.

"I believe that in the absence of an ombudsman it is imperative that the government meets with supermarkets and large retailers to ensure that farmers receive a fair price for their produce in order to bring stability back to the industry.

"As the DairyCo report indicates there is a need for all parts of the dairy supply chain to recognise the vulnerability of the supply base and work together to build farmer confidence."

The cost of implementing sheep and goat EID in just four of the EU’s 27 Member States could total an astonishing £109 million, the Farmers’ Union of Wales revealed today.

The startling figure was disclosed in a report by the Joint Research Centre, the body that advises the EU on technical issues, which compares costings for numerous EID implementation options in the UK, the Netherlands, Cyprus and Spain.

"Even the estimate of the cost of full EID implementation for the UK alone is more than £65 million," said FUW’s hill farming committee chairman Derek Morgan, who represents the union on the Welsh Assembly’s sheep EID group.

"This is a cost that will not be borne by our competitors from outside the EU and, once again, highlights the completely disproportionate expense of implementing a technology that can have major technical problems associated with it.

"I dread to think what the full costs to the EU sheep industry will be."

Even the cheapest option, which involves market reporting rather than on-farm reporting, would represent a cost of £31.024 million for the UK.

The study, requested by the EU’s Directorate General for Health and Consumer Affairs (DG SANCO), involved an economic analysis of EID for different production forms present in the Community from 2010.

The costs of equipment, tagging, and reading were calculated for different implementation options applied in Cyprus, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK.

The options studied were: full implementation for all animals born after 2009; implementation with a slaughter lamb derogation; full implementation with all movements being reported by markets and slaughterhouses; and options that included EID for animals born before 2010.

The cost of the various options in the UK, which has the largest flock in the EU, ranged between £31 million and £90 million, while costs for the Spanish industry were between £16 million and £55 million.

"This report simply adds to the already overwhelming evidence that shows that the costs of EID are completely disproportionate, while the benefits are negligible, and could actually be negative in the case of a disease outbreak," said Mr Morgan, who has tested EID on his Llangurig sheep farm.

"We are committed to fighting this ridiculous legislation to the bitter end and this is yet more evidence that totally undermines the basis upon which the Council of Ministers has made its decisions.

"However, the industry must also brace itself and start planning on the assumption that it will come in next year, because the majority of Member States are hell bent on ignoring the evidence."

Farmers’ Union of Wales president Gareth Vaughan today called for a national debate on the impact abolishing milk quotas will have on the Welsh dairy sector.

Last November the 27 EU agriculture ministers agreed to lift quotas by one per cent per year before scrapping them altogether in 2014-2015.

Mr Vaughan has written to Assembly rural affairs minister Elin Jones informing her the issue has attracted growing attention on the Continent during recent months, and prompted significant debate at last week's meeting of the EU Council of Ministers.

"There is growing concern amongst many farmers in Wales, and in other parts of the EU, that the full implications of the abandonment of the quota regime have not been properly recognised by the European Commission and others," Mr Vaughan wrote.

"Many believe that such a change would have a destabilising effect on an industry that is already suffering as a result of market volatility, and would have a particularly adverse impact for family farms."

Mr Vaughan told Ms Jones the FUW recognises the restrictions the current regime places on the industry’s ability to react to market demands and believes a more flexible approach to such challenges is needed, rather than the wholesale liberalisation of the current regime.

These concerns were discussed at a meeting last April between the FUW and EU Agriculture Commissioner Fischer Boel and, while the Commissioner was "resolute in her belief that the quota regime should be abolished" by 2015, she also made it clear the matter would be revisited in 2010.

"Given this and the recent volatility of milk prices, there is a real need for the Welsh Assembly Government to engage in further discussions on the impact that abolishing the quota regime will have for the Welsh dairy sector.

"I believe this should happen as soon as possible in order to inform next year's review," Mr Vaughan added.

"It seems perverse that, while the global economy is reeling as a result of under-regulation of the financial sector, and the G20 are proposing far stricter controls, the Commission seems hell-bent on deregulating the milk regime.

"We do not want to find ourselves in a similar situation to the one we now face with regards to sheep EID, with Member States only realising the serious repercussions of what they have agreed to when it is all but too late."