Gwynedd farmer Rhisiart Tomos Lewis, who runs a herd of 140 dairy cows with home-bred dairy heifers near Llangybi, was presented with the Farmers' Union of Wales/HSBC award to the person who has made an outstanding contribution to the Welsh dairy industry at the Welsh Dairy Show near Carmarthen today (Tuesday October 14).

Mr Lewis was born at Tan Y Bryn, Sardis, near Pwllheli, and educated at Glynllifon College which is now under the banner of Coleg Meirion Dwyfor.

After leaving college he returned to his family farm and in 1964 they bought Coed Cae Gwyn farm, Llangybi, as an addition to the land they were already farming.

In 1974 he was elected as director on the executive board of Hufenfa De Arfon and in 1997 he was elected chairman of the board. Since then he has travelled extensively across Europe and North America to represent the dairy industry.

FUW senior policy officer Hazel Wright, a judge on this year’s award selection panel, said: “Rhisiart Lewis has extensive knowledge of the dairy industry due to the fact that he has been a member of various national committees.

"He travels regularly to London for meetings and his understanding of the industry from the bottom to the top has always been an advantage to him, even when he was chairman of the creamery.

“He knows every chairman of every British dairy processing company in person and is able to discuss with each of them on first-name terms - a fact that is a credit to him and the trust they have shown for him.

“I would describe Rhisiart Lewis as a very democratic person and one who can keep his head in difficult situations.

“He is a very brave and determined man and his invaluable contribution was a key to the success and continuity of the agreement that existed between Hufenfa De Arfon and Marks & Spencer’s.

“Without a doubt Rhisiart Lewis is a man you can rely on to discuss any matter relating to the dairy industry at all levels of the production process.

“He deserves the recognition offered to him today which is, without doubt, the result of years of work he has given to the dairy industry, not only on behalf of his co-producers on the Llyn Peninsula, but dairy producers over Wales.”

He has four children, Owain who is at home farming; Nia who is married to a dairy farmer at Madryn Isaf, Pwllheli; Tudor, a surveyor with Gwynedd County Council; and Mari who works at the Gallery at Plas Glyn y Weddw, Llanbedrog.

He has been a member of the FUW since he started farming and a member of the Caernarfonshire dairy branch committee for many years.

[caption id="attachment_3108" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Presenting the FUW/HSBC award to the person who has made an outstanding contribution to the Welsh dairy industry to Rhisiart Tomos Lewis is deputy farming and food minister Rebecca Evans with FUW president Emyr Jones (far left) and HSBC agricultural manager for south Wales Nigel Williams (centre back).[/caption]

The Caernarfonshire branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales has (Friday October 10) welcomed visitors including Conwy MP Guto Bebb at Llechwedd Hafod farm, Cwm Penmachno to discuss the current price crisis for lamb sales and to see various elements of the Glastir scheme.

The day was hosted by FUW Caernarfonshire chairman Dafydd Gwyndaf and his wife Anwen and delegates enjoyed the opportunity to see the land and stock.

The current low prices for agricultural produce were discussed with Conwy MP Guto Bebb and Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) Industry Information Executive John Richards.

“We’ve had a very useful discussion with Guto Bebb and John Richards with regard to the prices we’re getting for our lambs. There is no doubt that Westminster could do much more to assist the industry.

“We’ve asked our local MP to lobby harder for a better share of our levys to be given to HCC. If HCC were given the levy for all lambs produced in Wales, including those slaughtered in abbatoirs elsewhere in the UK, they would have much more money to spend on promoting our produce which should result in getting higher prices for us,”said Mr Gwyndaf.

“It was also good to discuss the rules of the Glastir Scheme and its record keeping requirements with Emyr Wyn Davies from FWAG Wales. Emyr highlighted many important issues with regard to the complexity of the scheme, and the most common pitfalls that lead to so many farmers being penalised,” said FUW Caernarfonshire county executive officer Gwynedd Watkin.

Llechwedd Hafod is situated approximately seven miles south of Betws y Coed.  The family farm extends to just over 550 hectares of which approximately 440 hectares of mountain land and 20 hectares are kept annually for silage making.

Dafydd is the third generation farming at Llechwedd Hafod which he owns, and Blaen Cwm is rented in from a private owner. A further 25 acres are rented in annually at Bryn Elian at the bottom of the Conwy Valley, and 100 ewes are away wintered in Whitford, Flintshire due to having to remove livestock from the uplands over the winter months as a condition of the agri-environment scheme.

“We breed our own stock here on farm and keep 950 ewes in two separate flocks. 400 at Llechwedd Hafod and 550 at Blaen Cwm, with 125 and 150 ewe lambs respectively kept annually. Most of our ewes are put to Welsh Mountain rams with around 200 put to a Cheviot ram and another 200 cross Cheviot ewes put to a Blue Faced Leicester Ram,” said Mr Gwyndaf.

“Lambing starts around the 20th of March for us and we sell lambs fat off the holding at Llanrwst livestock Market. The Mules are sold as breeding animals either at six months old or as shearlings. Older ewes are sold off as draft ewes at around five years old. The prices we currently get don’t even cover the cost of producing fat lambs, and that is why it’s so important that HCC is given all the levy paid on lambs produced in Wales,” added Mr Gwyndaf.

The family also keep a herd of 17 Welsh Black Pedigree Cattle which they will be increasing to over 30 within the next two years, all being put to Welsh Black bulls. All steers are sold privately at around 18 months as stores and are eventually sold to Pointons, a local butcher in Colwyn Bay. Most heifers are either kept or sold as breeding animals. Any heifers that are unsuitable for breeding are sold in Llanrwst livestock market as finished animals with other local butchers being the usual buyers.

“Llechwedd Hafod has been able to take advantage of agri-environment schemes over the years, and the family see farming and conservation going hand in hand.  The farm was part of the Tir Gofal Scheme until the end of last year, and then joined the Glastir Scheme from January 1, 2014,” said Mr Watkin.

“The farm has been fortunate in being chosen for the Glastir Advanced Scheme which will run from January 1 next year. The family have also taken advantage of other agri-environment schemes including those run by the Snowdonia National Park with capital grants secured for rebuilding many metres of stone walls and slate pillar boundaries,” added Mr Watkin.

Dafydd is a member of the Welsh Black Cattle Society and has a keen interest in the traditional Welsh Working Sheep Dog breed, and is the current chairman of the society.

Mr Gwyndaf is very active within the local community. The local sheep dog trials are held on the land annually, he is the current chairman of the local Community Council and has been for many years, and is also the chairman of the editorial committee of the local paper ‘Yr Odyn’.

[caption id="attachment_3101" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] FUW Caernarfonshire chairman Dafydd Gwyndaf welcoming visitors to Llechwedd Hafod.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3102" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) Industry Information Executive John Richards giving an update on the current prices for lamb and beef.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3103" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] FWAG Cymru’s Emyr Wyn Davies pointing out various features entered into the Glastir Scheme[/caption]

Re-occurring incidents of sheep worrying are still a major concern for farming families in Wales, according to Farmers’ Union of Wales Caernarfonshire county executive officer Gwynedd Watkin.

“Figures revealed by the Farmers Guardian earlier this year showed that there were more than 1,000 attacks by dogs in 2013, up from 691 in 2011, and a survey of 580 NSA members revealed 58 per cent see sheep worrying as a "persistent problem", with 63 per cent of attacks resulting in "invisible" injuries such as stress and abortion.

“Hundreds and thousands of walkers visit Snowdonia annually and we welcome them all with open arms, but we must ask them to act responsibly and not be tarred by the same brush as those irresponsible few that give a bad name to everybody else,” said FUW Caernarfonshire county executive officer Gwynedd Watkin.

“It’s not only tourists that allow their dogs to run freely in the countryside, but locals too. We have examples of local people, one at the beginning of this year in Bethesda, who should know better. Letting dogs out in fields unsupervised is not acceptable.

“Despite many calls for the public to be responsible and keep their dogs on a lead when walking the countryside, members are still having to deal with horrific injuries caused by dog attacks on livestock.

“The public needs to be aware of how dangerous their pets can be to livestock if they are being chased or, even worse, attacked by dogs on the loose,” added Mr Watkin.

The union is continuously supporting the Farmers Guardians ‘take the lead’ campaign and will continue to highlight the need for responsible dog ownership amongst the farming and non-farming community.

“We are calling on people to keep their dogs on a lead when they walk in the countryside, and encouraging farmers to use the "take the lead" campaign sign and display it on their farms. 

“Farmers are continuously being inspected to ensure that they look after their animals in an appropriate manner, whilst some owners of dogs let their pets run freely and totally out of control. I appeal to all dog owners to ensure that they keep their dogs on their leads whenever they see livestock in the same field as their dogs, even though that may be on the side of a mountain where the animals maybe a long way away.

“Sheep, lambs, cattle and horses have been attacked, ewes are aborting due to the stress caused by being chased and some animals are even dying of exhaustion. This can all be prevented through responsible dog ownership and taking the countryside code of conduct into account,” added Mr Watkin.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales Denbighshire branch recently hosted a successful farm visit (October 2) with deputy Minister for farming and food, Rebecca Evans AM at a farm near Wrexham.

Union officials along with regional AM’s Aled Roberts and Llyr Huws Gruffydd visited Rhos Farm, Rhosllanerchrugog, Wrexham, run by FUW member Paul Jones to discuss a range of current farming issues.

Mr Jones farms 1600 sheep on land ranging from lowland up to the Ruabon Mountain, which is common land.

“We outlined a number of concerns to the deputy Minister regarding the potential impact of the new Basic Payment scheme (BPS), on farm businesses across Wales and the knock-on effects it will have on rural communities, the Welsh language and culture, if upland farms become less viable or sustainable,” said FUW Denbigh and Flintshire county executive officer Rhys Roberts.

Mr Jones showed the Minister his faming system, highlighting the fact that he entered Glastir in 2012, and has adapted his flock by using a more profitable breed in order to improve efficiency.

He expressed concerns that his management decisions are constrained to some extent by the fact the moorland is common land, which is also designated as an SSSI and is part of the extended AONB, along with a large proportion of the in-bye land.

The flock is monitored annually as part of the Aberystwyth University ‘Farm Business Survey’ and Paul believes he is already trying to implement best practice on the farm but feels the reduction in support in the future will compromise his ability to produce a quality product at a profit that allows him to re-invest in the business.

“We enjoyed a fruitful discussion with the deputy Minister on the potential funding sources that the new RDP would make available to farms and rural businesses and it was clear that she was keen to listen to proposals put forward by the farming industry,” added Mr Roberts. 

The issue of Greening and the ongoing process of registering Environmental Focus Areas (EFA’s) were also raised with the deputy Minister.

Mr Roberts questioned the need to undertake this exercise if the individual farm does not exceed the threshold that activates the need for EFA’s, saying that: “This process is placing a huge logistical and bureaucratic burden on farmers, the Farming Unions and also on Welsh Government staff who have to process the forms.”

The deputy Minister advised members that the Greening element of the new Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) is subject to ongoing discussions with the EU and that Welsh Government  would continue to press for the measure to be simplified where possible.

FUW Denbighshire county chairman John Roberts thanked Rebecca Evans AM after the visit saying: “We are extremely grateful to the deputy Minister for taking the time to visit Rhos Farm and for listening to the concerns raised by those present. We are confident that our key messages were taken on board and we look forward to seeing some ground breaking and innovative initiatives within the new RDP.”

[caption id="attachment_3096" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] (From left) Plaid Cymru Regional AM Llyr Huws Gruffydd, FUW Denbighshire county vice-chairman Rheinallt Hughes, FUW Denbigh and Flintshire county executive officer Rhys Roberts, FUW Denbighshire county chairman John Roberts, FUW member Paul Jones, and Lib Dem Regional AM Aled Roberts.[/caption]

The Glamorgan branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales is holding an open meeting for members to discuss the new Basic Payment Scheme which will come into force next year.

The meeting will be held on Monday October 13 at Heol-Y-Cyw Rugby Club, Heol-Y-Cyw, Bridgend, CF35 6HR and is due to start at 8pm.

“With all the new changes taking effect next year, we felt that it would be helpful for members to attend an open meeting to discuss how these will affect their farm business,” said FUW Glamorgan county executive officer Rachel Saunders.

FUW director of agricultural policy Dr Nick Fenwick, will be in attendance to advise members further on these matters.

The fall in the Euro-Sterling exchange rate for Single Payment calculations to its lowest level in seven years could not have come at a worse time, says the Farmers’ Union of Wales.

The exchange rate, set by the European Central Bank at £0.7773/€1 on Tuesday (September 30), is the lowest since 2007, and comes against a background of falls in farmgate prices, a reduced Welsh CAP budget, and a 15% transfer to the Rural Development Programme (RDP) agreed by the Welsh Government – the highest rate in Europe.

Responding to the announcement, FUW President Emyr Jones said: “The Single Payment makes up a large proportion of Welsh farm incomes, and the poor exchange rate could not have come at a worse time given the collapse in what farmers are receiving for milk, lamb and beef.”

The combined impact of the Welsh Government’s 15% RDP transfer, a reduction in the Welsh budget of around 10%, and an exchange rate of £0.7773/€1 means a farmer who received a Single Payment of £10,000 in 2013 will see their payment slashed by more than 20% in 2014, to around £7879.

“The industry remains angry at the Welsh Government’s decision to reduce Welsh payments by the highest rate in the EU to fund the RDP, and with those who advised the government on this course of action.

“The poor exchange rate will add to this anger at a time when lamb, beef and milk prices have fallen dramatically. There will clearly be a knock-on impact on our rural economies.”

Mr Jones said the imminent fall in farm incomes should further focus the Welsh Government’s attention on ensuring the RDP is used to increase farm incomes.

“We cannot control the exchange rate, and despite our fierce lobbying against it, the decision to transfer 15% has been made. The only area where there is flexibility to act is in terms of ensuring Rural Development Funds are directed at bringing farm incomes back up, and not squandered.”

Mr Jones said he was bitterly disappointed at the recent confirmation that the Welsh Government did not intend to use those funds to implement an Area of Natural Constraint (ANC) Scheme.

“The FUW’s policy remains clear on this; without an ANC scheme we are at a competitive disadvantage to farmers in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Eire, and the rest of the EU, where such schemes are universally in place.”