[caption id="attachment_5592" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The dairy and lamb crisis was high on the agenda for FUW committee chairmen[/caption]

A delegation of Farmers’ Union of Wales standing committee chairmen held a crisis meeting today at the union’s head office in Aberystwyth, to discuss a way forward for the problems faced by the dairy and lamb industry.

Recent weeks have seen farmer anger reach boiling point, with producers holding protests in and outside of supermarkets in a bid to get a better deal for their produce.

FUW president Glyn Roberts, who chaired today’s meeting, said: “We have had a very productive meeting today and discussed the ways in which the union can help strengthen producer positions and make their voices heard.

“As a result of the meeting, the FUW is launching the ‘It’s more than just lamb’ campaign, which will highlight the problems faced by the industry and aims to engage consumers more effectively with Welsh produce.

“Over the next few weeks we will continue to meet with industry bodies, government and retailers to further strengthen the position of our members. As part of these meetings, we will be talking about farmgate prices alongside local procurement, clearer labelling and consumer behaviour.

“We had a varied representation of industry sectors at today’s meeting, which showed how important it is that we all work together to secure a sustainable future for Welsh farming.”

The Pembrokeshire branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales is taking a look back at the last sixty years of the union in the county at this year’s Pembrokeshire County show (August 18-20) and will also be asking consumers to support farmers by buying Welsh and British produce.

“During the three days of the show we will be meeting with both local and national politicians to discuss the current financial crisis hitting the industry together with other local issues,” said FUW Pembrokeshire county executive officer Rebecca Voyle.

“In addition, following on from discussions at the Royal Welsh Show with Ofcom, we will be undertaking a survey of farmers to establish the level of broadband and mobile phone coverage in the county and will be highlighting the “Take the Lead” campaign,” added Mrs Voyle.

Staff from Natural Resources Wales will be at the FUW stand every day of the show between 10am and 2pm to provide general advice and information on local nutrient management initiatives together with information on the ongoing review of NVZ areas.

Philip Meade, of Davis Meade Property Consultants, the union’s land agents, will be on the stand on the Wednesday of the show (August 19) to provide advice on a variety of issues ranging from rent reviews to compensation claims and renewable energy contracts. The RABI will also be on site in the afternoon between 2pm and 4pm to offer Christmas cards and 2016 calendars for sale with all of the proceeds going to the charity.

“Chris Coe, of the Farming Community Network (FCN), will also join us on the Wednesday (August 19) afternoon and all day on the Thursday (August 20) to provide information on what assistance they provide to the agricultural industry and details of how members of the rural community can become involved,” added Mrs Voyle.

The FUW has welcomed a move by retailer Morrisons, which will see the creation of a new milk brand designed to help struggling dairy farmers.

The new ‘Milk for Farmers’ brand will cost an extra ten pence in store, with the extra money being passed back to those farmers supplying the co-operative Aria.

“Milk prices have fallen drastically over recent months and this has caused tremendous pressure on family dairy farms in Wales,” said FUW milk and dairy produce committee chairman Dei Davies.

“The introduction of this new brand will further aid in bringing the issue of low milk prices to the consumer and allows for an ethical milk choice to be made.”

Mr Davies said that the FUW was encouraging shoppers to support British farms by choosing this new brand.

“The FUW has worked closely with the Wales Fair Trade Forum and the union continues to promote the concept of a fair price for a fair product.

“The introduction of this new milk brand is akin to a British fair trade product and this is something we wholeheartedly support.

“However, given that around 80 percent of the milk processed in Wales goes into cheese production, it is important to remember that Welsh farmers are not only affected by the price of liquid milk, but also by the price of other dairy products,” he added.

The FUW will therefore continue to draw attention to the need for fair farm gate returns in up and coming meetings with those bodies involved in the supply chain.

The Montgomeryshire branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales is putting on a hog roast to thank former county executive officer Susan Jones for her services to the agricultural industry and services to the union.
The event will take place on Sunday August 23, at the Cefn Coch Inn, Cefn Coch at 1pm. Tickets are available from the county office (tel. 01686 626 889) at £10 for adults and £5 for children.
“Susan joined the FUW during October 1984 as clerk/ typist before being promoted to county executive officer during November 1998.
“As a county we would like to invite members to join us as we thank Susan for her more than 30 years of service to the union and of course the agricultural industry in Wales,” said FUW Montgomeryshire county chairman Mark Williams.

[caption id="attachment_5558" align="aligncenter" width="225"] BHF CEO Simon Gillespie with FUW president Glyn Roberts[/caption]

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has officially revealed the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Cymru as its new charitable cause for the next two years.

Making the announcement on the Tuesday of the Eisteddfod (August 4), FUW president Glyn Roberts, said: “I am pleased to announce that we have chosen the British Heart Foundation Cymru as our next charitable cause, following nominations by our staff and friends of the union.

“BHF are the nation's heart charity and the largest independent funder of cardiovascular research. Coronary heart disease is the UK's single biggest killer and their pioneering research has helped to transform the lives of people living with heart and circulatory conditions and their work has been central to the discoveries of vital treatments that are helping to change the face of the UK's fight against heart disease.

“I am sure that as a union we can top our last fundraising total of £50,000, which we have recently presented to children’s hospices Ty Hafan and Ty Gobaith and I look forward to working with the charity.”

BHF were founded in 1961 by a group of medical professionals wanting to fund extra research into the causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of heart and circulatory disease and after half a century of extraordinary scientific and societal progress they have helped to transform the landscape of heart disease.

BHF Cymru head of community fundraising Sion Edwards said: “ We are delighted that BHF Cymru will be the Farmers’ Union of Wales charity partner for the next two years and are joining the fight, with us, against heart disease – Wales’s biggest killer.

“Funds raised by the Farmers’ Union of Wales will help power our world-class research programme, which has contributed to some of the most amazing advances in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease but the fight against heart disease is far from over.”

Cooking demonstration by top local chefs and ready steady cook competitions YFC style will keep visitors to the Farmers’ Union of Wales stand at Anglesey county show (August 11-12) entertained this year.

Ellis Barrie of Marram Grass and Gert Vos of Oren are kick-starting the cooking demonstrations at 10.15am on the Tuesday of the show (August 11) and will be showing off their skills continuously throughout the two-day event.

The first Ready, Steady, Cook! competition, in YFC style, will commence at 11.15am with the boys and the girls will start the second round on Wednesday at 11.45pm at the FUW stand.

“We are very excited to promote our fantastic Welsh food here at the Anglesey show and welcome visitors to join us for the two-day show, have a chat, drink a cup of tea and have a piece of cake with us,” said FUW Anglesey county executive officer Heidi Williams.

Dog obedience training and advice as well as a demonstration by Heather Gordon and Margaret will put the spot light on responsible dog ownership on Wednesday of the show (August 12).

“The second day of the show will focus strongly on dog training and obedience. The FUW is continuing with its support for the ‘take the lead’ campaign as well and we are encouraging visitors to the show not to miss out on the workshops,” added Mrs Williams.

Children will not be forgotten at the show either and are invited to come by the stand on both days for a special food tasting session.

There will also be a raffle and Davis Meade and Gamlins solicitors will be at the stand for both days.