FOLLOWING a successful Wales Coastal Path walk and hog roast evening last September, the chairmen of FUW Denbighshire and Flintshire branches recently presented a cheque to union vice president Richard Vaughan - who accepted the money on behalf of president Emyr Jones - for the union’s chosen charity T? Gobaith and T? Hafan childrens' hospices.

The final total raised by the members, families and friends of the two counties was £4,278.

County executive officer Rhys Roberts said: “it was an outstanding effort on the part of the two counties to raise such a significant sum for an extremely worthwhile cause.

“This reflects the excellent support within the two counties for the union.”

[caption id="attachment_4120" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] UNION SUPPORT: From left, FUW Denbighshire county chairman John Roberts and Flintshire county chairman Tim Faire present the cheque to Richard Vaughan.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4108" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Kick-starting Farmhouse Breakfast Week at the Assembly, from left, deputy minister for farming and food Rebecca Evans, Hybu Cig Cymru chairman Dai Davies and FUW president Emyr Jones.[/caption]

Farmers’ Union of Wales president Emyr Jones has highlighted the need for political leaders to come up with strategies which deal with the severe collapse in farmgate milk prices and the longer term viability of food production.

Speaking after the function, during which he told a gathering of more than 100 AMs and industry leaders that confidence within the dairy industry had collapsed, Mr Jones said:

“Action by supermarkets, dairy processors and governments is desperately needed in order to boost dairy farm incomes and confidence.

“However, we also need a long term strategy which takes account of the importance of food producers and food security, and the huge changes in agricultural policies which have occurred over the years.”

“We have gone from guaranteed prices to the watering down of the CAP and now quota abolition is imminent. Many want a further acceleration in the form of the complete dismantling of the CAP and complete exposure to global price volatility.

“But there is no real ‘Plan B’ which reflects the importance of protecting food producers and ensuring food security, and unless action is taken to recognise this I fear we are slowly opening Pandora’s box at a time when food trade wars and the threat of terrorism should place the issue very much at the centre of the EU’s agenda.”

Mr Jones told those present at the function that the newly introduced Common Agricultural Policy was the latest incarnation of policies drawn up more than fifty years ago by people with first-hand experience of the economic and human impact of more than a decade of food shortages and price volatility.

“The powers that be must recognise that policies which protect our food supplies are at least as important as policies aimed at preventing financial crises, and that the arguments in favour of common policies and controls which protect farm incomes and food production are as valid today as they was sixty years ago.

“EU membership is inherent to those policies, and the consequences of leaving the EU and the 700 million customers who live on mainland Europe would be dire,” he added.

Once again the Farmers’ Union of Wales is ringing the wake-up alarm bells to promote the wonderful food produced in Wales and highlight the benefits of eating a healthy breakfast during the annual Farmhouse Breakfast Week (January 25 to 31).

A variety of functions – starting with a Welsh buffet breakfast next Tuesday (January 13) at the National Assembly’s Senedd building in Cardiff Bay and sponsored by Welsh red meat promotion agency Hybu Cig Cymru – will support this month’s campaign organised since 2000 by the Home Grown Cereals Authority (HGCA).

FUW president Emyr Jones said the union is a keen supporter of HGCA’s campaign which aims to raise awareness of the benefits of eating a healthy breakfast and demonstrate the rich variety of breakfast foods available in Wales and the rest of the UK.

“We are delighted to  once again host this prestigious event at the Senedd and it is an honour to say that for the last 15 years we have been joined for this event by the Welsh minister of agriculture, starting with Carwyn Jones, and we now look forward to welcoming deputy farming and food minister Rebecca Evans to the event next week.

“The theme for HGCA’s campaign ‘Shake Up Your Wake Up’ encourages us to make small changes to our morning routine to make sure you have time for breakfast every day!

“It is all about showcasing the most important meal of the day in a bid to raise awareness of the health and nutritional benefits of breakfast and the huge variety of top quality farm produce available in Wales – ranging from bacon, sausages and eggs to speciality dairy products, breads and cereals.”

Further farmhouse breakfast function will be held in Caernarfonshire on Sunday January 25 at Lleuar Fawr, Penygroes; Monday January 26 at Ty’n Hendre, Tal-y-bont, Bangor; Tuesday January 27 at Hirdre Fawr, Tudweiliog, Pwllheli; Wednesday January 28 at Glyn Uchaf, Tynygroes, Conwy; Thursday January 29 at Cae’r Graig, Efailnewydd, Pwllheli; and a further two on Friday January 30 at Dylasau Uchaf, Padog, Betws y Coed and Caffi Anne’s Café, Bryncir Auction Centre, Bryncir, Garndolbenmaen.

A breakfast function has also been organised in Denbigh on Thursday January 29 at Pontruffydd Farm, Bodfari and in Flintshire on Friday January 30 at Plas Bedw, Pentrecelyn, Ruthin.

FUW's Meirionnydd branch has also organised three breakfast functions, on Monday January 26 from 10am to 1pm at Ysgol y Parc, near Bala, hosted by Olwen and Nia Davies, of Ty Cerrig, Parc; on Thursday January 29 from 8.30am at Llew Coch, Dinas Mawddwy, hosted by Berwyn, Cerys and Beryl Hughes; and on Friday January 30 from 8.30am at Esgairgyfela, Aberdyfi, hosted by Dewi and Meinir Owen.

For more information about the individual farmhouse breakfast functions please contact the FUW Caernarfonshire office on 01286 672541, FUW Denbigh and Flint office on 01824 707198 and the FUW Meirionnydd office on 01341 422298

The announcement by dairy co-operative First Milk, to defer payment for milk and to increase member capital contributions, is yet another setback for a Welsh dairy sector which is already reeling from a period of sustained low prices and poor profitability.

Last year saw months of consecutive downward milk pricing by many major milk buyers including Arla, First Milk and Dairy Crest and a lengthy delay in milk price recovery now seems certain due to problems such as over supply within the global marketplace.

FUW president Mr Emyr Jones said: “The decision to postpone milk cheques by two weeks will have a significant impact and FUW First Milk suppliers are extremely concerned about the decision.  Farmers are not in a position to defer paying their bills or direct debits so this decision places them in an untenable position.

“The FUW is naturally anxious that a major collector of milk in Wales is experiencing cash flow problems and we have discussed our concerns with First Milk following the announcement.

“The decision by First Milk to defer payments compounds the sustained low prices already experienced by dairy producers in Wales and adds to concerns about the volatility of the milk market and its impact on the viability of the sector.”

Farmers’ Union of Wales public relations director Peter Roberts today announced his retirement from the post - but he will continue to edit the union's monthly newspaper Y Tir/Welsh Farmer for the foreseeable future.

Sixty-six-year-old Mr Roberts said:  “I’ve just completed 50 years working in the media industry in Wales so instead of going into the office every day I will now keep in touch with all my fellow colleagues and contacts, inside and outside the industry, by working on Y Tir from home.

“It means I will retain some involvement in publicising the FUW’s first class service to the farming industry at a historic moment in the organisation’s long and successful history as it proudly enters its 60th anniversary year.

“And it thrills me to realise that when I was 15 I was a newspaper delivery boy - taking the South Wales Evening Post around my home village of Ferryside - and half a century later I edit a newspaper printed and produced by the Post’s current publishers South West Wales Media Ltd.”

FUW president Emyr Jones said: “On behalf of the FUW I would warmly like to thank Peter for his outstanding service to the FUW and Welsh agriculture, not only during his time with the union but also during his many years as a highly respected journalist. We wish him a long and happy retirement.”

After leaving Carmarthen’s Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Mr Roberts joined the Carmarthen Journal as a trainee reporter and just over two years later he was appointed the Post’s Carmarthen district junior reporter.

In September 1970 he became the Western Mail’s senior district reporter for Ceredigion, Montgomeryshire, Meirionnydd and Dwyfor and 14 years later the Cambrian News’ deputy editor.

He was appointed Cambrian News editor in July 1991 and after seven years in that post left to set up his own editorial consultancy pr.news which he successfully ran until April 2002 when he became FUW’s press officer and Y Tir’s editor.

He succeeded Alan Morris as FUW’s PR director in December 2006.

As the FUW approaches its 60^th anniversary we look back on a year in which falls in farmgate prices and income from the CAP has had a severe impact on farm incomes, but the exceptionally kind weather at least means we are going into 2015 with far more fodder than in previous years.

2014 is a year in which significant announcements have been made – both in terms of the union’s structure, with the creation of FUW Insurance Services Limited and other changes, and for Wales’ agriculture industry, with numerous key announcements, not least the appointment of Rebecca Evans as Deputy Minister for farming and food in July.

The Deputy Minister’s appointment marked a positive turning point in terms of recognition of the need for government and the FUW to work together for the good of the industry, while accepting that some differences of opinion will always exist. Whatever those differences are, or the challenges we face due to the impact of factors which are outside our control, I believe we are starting 2015 in a far stronger position because of the mutual respect between government and industry and the commitment to work together.

Such joined up thinking and working is going to be essential over the coming weeks and months, as we enter a period of major change and uncertainty: change due to the introduction of various rules relating to the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and uncertainty following the recent abolition of the 400 metre moorland line following a successful judicial review.

The new CAP rules represent a massive escalation in the administrative burden for farmers and government departments alike, despite the previous European Commissioner’s commitment to simplified rules, and these will have some serious repercussions for many Welsh farmers.

The FUW has already highlighted major concerns to the new Commissioner, former Irish Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan, and we will no doubt have the opportunity to raise concerns face-to-face when we welcome the Commissioner to the 2015 Royal Welsh Show.

Meanwhile, it is essential that farmers familiarise themselves with the new rules in order to minimise the risk of financial losses: 2015 is a reference year for the establishment of Basic Payment Scheme entitlements, so any errors or breaches – for example where a claimant cannot demonstrate sufficient management control of land taken on or where grazing is rented out – could result in permanent annual losses.

Anyone who needs guidance on such matters should contact their local FUW office, where they will receive a warm welcome and, if they are lucky, they may find a few mince pies left over!

Meanwhile, we look forward to a year in which the FUW celebrates sixty years of protecting the interests of members, and continues to deliver invaluable one-to-one services through its County Offices, which have secured more than half a billion pounds for members over the past decade alone.

Wishing you all a happy and prosperous 2015.