The Farmers' Union of Wales today advised Welsh farmers to follow Natural Resources Wales (NRW) guidance to help them manage slurry storage and spreading given the recent wet weather.

FUW land use and parliamentary committee chairman Gavin Williams said: "The NRW guidance offers advice on best practice and legal requirements to help farmers deal with the problems caused by full slurry stores and waterlogged land.

"The current atrocious weather conditions are making life difficult for farmers. The storms and heavy rain of the past two months have left them with full slurry stores and waterlogged fields unsuitable for spreading.

"The NRW guidance provides farmers with advice on creating short-term extra storage and, if this is not an option, guidance on spreading slurry whilst minimising the pollution risk and meeting legal guidelines."

The guidance can be found on the NRW website: naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

More than £4,100 has been raised by Farmers’ Union of Wales members, staff and supporters at 13 breakfast functions held in aid of union president Emyr Jones’s children’s hospice charities T? Hafan and T? Gobaith during this year's Farmhouse Breakfast Week.

Kitchens in Ceredigion, Anglesey, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Caernarfonshire and Meirionnydd were filled with mouth-watering aromas as part of the union’s promotion of locally-produced Welsh food.

The various events highlighted the union's enthusiastic support for the Farmhouse Breakfast Week 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 to raise awareness of the benefits of eating a healthy breakfast and demonstrate the rich variety and quality of breakfast foods available in Wales and the rest of the UK.

“I would like to thanks everyone for their very generous support, which has made these breakfast functions such a success.

"We have raised a fantastic amount of money for the charities and managed once more to showcase what excellent food we produce here in Wales,” added Mr Jones.

[caption id="attachment_2756" align="aligncenter" width="300"] From left, FUW area officer Dei Charles Jones, FUW Meirionnydd county vice chairman Euros Puw, FUW president Emyr Jones, S4C's Fferm Factor winner and special guest Gwenno Pugh, FUW deputy president Glyn Roberts, FUW Bala branch chairman Dylan Davies and Meirionnydd YFC county chairman Dylan Jones.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2757" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Enjoying their breakfast at Hendrearddwyfaen, Ty Nant (from left) Plaid Cymru AM Llyr Gruffydd with FUW Denbighshire and Flintshire county executive officer Rhys Roberts and breakfast hosts Ifor Owen, his wife Nan and son Gwion.[/caption]

The future of the farming industry and how it can support the development of young farmers to ensure a prosperous future was discussed at a recent meeting between Farmers’ Union of Wales officials and Wales YFC staff.

Challenges such as CAP and bovine TB plus ways to help young people in rural Wales become more active in their community to establish vibrant rural businesses were considered.

A key area for the YFC movement is educating children from primary school age about the endless opportunities that rural life can offer as well as educating youngsters about the farming industry.

The FUW is fully supportive of the YFC 2050 goal of ensuring every child in Wales undertakes a farm visit whilst in primary school.

FUW president Emyr Jones said: “Once again we had an excellent meeting with Wales YFC and it is good to hear about some of the new initiatives it has planned.

"The work the federation has done so far with the lamb initiative must be recognised as a great step forward for young farmers and the union is, of course, supportive of any similar future ventures."

The Wales YFC lamb initiative works in partnership with Dunbia and Sainsbury’s and gives YFC members the opportunity to supply Welsh lamb to Sainsbury’s stores in Wales, all year round.

The initiative is open to members and associate members aged 16 to 40.

“Education and business opportunities are vital for our young people and I was glad to talk about the success of the Llyndy Isaf Farm scholarship which Wales YFC runs,” added Mr Jones.

"I can only encourage those eligible to make sure that they apply for the scholarship and attend the open days in March and April."

The Llyndy Isaf Farm scholarship  is a partnership between Wales YFC and National Trust Eryri which gives a YFC member the chance to live and run their own farm for a whole year.

The scholarship gives someone the opportunity to become skilled at decision-making, business management and animal husbandry.

Llyndy Isaf is a 614-acre upland livestock unit in the Nant Gwynant Valley in Snowdonia.

[caption id="attachment_2753" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] From left: Wales YFC chief executive Nia Lloyd, FUW senior policy officer Hazel Wright, Wales YFC rural affairs vice chairman Ceri Davies, Wales YFC rural development officer Sarah Price, Wales YFC rural affairs chairman Iwan Thomas, FUW president Emyr Jones, Wales YFC vice chairman Iwan Meirion and Wales YFC chairman Kate Miles.[/caption]

The Farmers' Union of Wales today appealed to Welsh farmers to offer any help or forage to farmers in Somerset hit by the recent floods.

"Many Somerset farmers are suffering dire conditions and we have received requests from members asking what they can do to help, particularly after the support given by English farmers who co-ordinated a fodder bank for Welsh farmers in need during last year's snow," said FUW president Emyr Jones.

"I know many Welsh farmers are keen to repay the favour for fodder donations from English farmers last year so if anyone has fodder, transport or any other help to offer we would be happy to pass their details on to the help co-ordinators.

"The social media network is currently coming into its own in this regard and there is already a Farm Community Network helpline in place for those who wish to donate towards the cost of fodder. The number is 0845 367 9990.

"Alternatively, the Farming Community Network has a ‘just giving page’ that is accepting financial donations. To donate, state: 'For Somerset Farmers' at http://www.justgiving.com/fcn/donate .

"There is also a dedicated 'just giving' site, set up for Welsh farmers last year, that has now reopened for Somerset. The link to this site is: uk.virginmoneygiving.com/forageaid  For those on Twitter you can follow events on #Forageaid

"There is a collection point at Sedgemoor Market (01278 410278) for forage and any livestock that need rehousing," Mr Jones added.

The tables were turned when local VIPs attended a farmhouse breakfast at S4C “Fferm Ffactor” judge and FUW Ceredigion county chairman Aled Rees’s farm at Trefere Fawr, Penparc, near Cardigan, today.

Mr Rees hosted the breakfast with a dual purpose - to highlight the importance of eating breakfast and to capitalise on an opportunity to discuss the future of Welsh farming with 40 local farmers, politicians, food business owners and representatives from agricultural bodies

Among those sampling the Rees family’s hospitality were Elin Jones AM, Ceredigion county councillor for Penparc Haydn Lewis, Rachel’s Dairy factory manager Richard Cooper and representatives from Hybu Cig Cymru and J J Morris auctioneers.

Mr and Mrs Tony Burgess of Birchgrove Farm, Trawscoed, near Aberystwyth,  kindly donated eggs; bread was donated by Gwalia Bakery, Llanybydder; sausages by Ben Evans Butcher, Llanon; yogurt by Rachel’s Dairy, Aberystwyth; bacon by Owain’s the Butcher, Aberaeron; and condiments by Costcutters in Aberaeron.

Mr Rees said: “This was an excellent opportunity for members across the agricultural industry to come together to discuss the recent Common Agricultural Policy announcements.

“We were all unanimous in our call to the minister for natural resources and food Alun Davies to ensure that Pillar 2 money should return to farmers in a meaningful way.”

Those attending the breakfast expressed their disappointment with the recent announcement of the 15% transfer from Pillar 1 to Pillar 2 and members urged Elin Jones to stress the importance of this issue further to Alun Davies to ensure Welsh farmers can compete on a level playing field with other countries as well as securing the longevity of the Welsh family farm.

“We are very grateful for everybody’s attendance and their generosity as the event raised £325 for the union president Emyr Jones’s charities T? Hafan and T? Gobaith,” added FUW Ceredigion county executive officer Caryl Wyn-Jones.

[caption id="attachment_2747" align="aligncenter" width="300"] From left, Aled Rees with Elin Jones, Morgan Evans of Rhostyddyn, Devil’s Bridge and Trefor Jones, Cwmcae, Bow Street.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2748" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Aled Rees at the head of the table discussing CAP with local farmers[/caption]

The full implications of the Welsh Government’s decision to transfer the maximum 15 per cent of Pillar 1 funds to Pillar 2 hit home this week as thousands of farmers started receiving letters informing them of a whopping 23.4 per cent cut to their entitlement values.

The 23.4 per cent cut represents a fall in the total Pillar 1 budget for Wales and all other regions of the UK of around 10 per cent - something which was beyond the control of the Welsh Government - followed by the 15 per cent Pillar transfer rate decided by natural resources and food minister Alun Davies.

However, contrary to what some have been told, no further reductions will be applied in December 2014, as the 15 per cent Pillar transfer replaces modulation, which previously appeared as a reduction on the Single Payment statements issued from December onwards.

“The 23.4 per cent figure and the reaction of the industry show why the FUW was so bitterly opposed to the Pillar transfer in the run up to the decision being made in December,” said union president Emyr Jones.

In terms of what farmers will actually receive this year in Euros, this means a reduction of between around 12 and 18 per cent compared with 2013, depending upon the size of their payment.

“This is because the rate of modulation was lower for the first 5,000 Euros in past years, whereas the 23.4 per cent reduction will be taken off every Euro,” said Mr Jones.

Mr Jones said the decision had made Wales stand out like a sore thumb on the map of Europe.

“Wales will have the single highest rate of Pillar transfer in 2014 not only in the UK, but in the whole of Europe, while the rate in the vast majority of EU countries will be zero.

“We have gone from having the lowest rate in the UK to the highest rate in Europe at a time when Welsh farm incomes have collapsed and people are struggling to pay the bills.

“We all understand and support the principle of using the Rural Development Plan to help businesses restructure and be more competitive, but the approach adopted feels more like a direct attack on the industry.”

FUW policy director Nick Fenwick said that the impact the cuts would have in Wales highlighted failures at an EU level to prevent significant renationalisation of CAP policies.

“Previously the EU was extremely protective of common rules, but in the last rounds of negotiations huge flexibility was introduced in terms of pillar transfers without the quid pro quo of co-funding.

“There now seems to be some sort of extreme view that taking more money away from an industry already reeling from a collapse in incomes will make it more resilient and competitive - this just doesn’t stack up when you consider we operate in a common market and that our main competitors will not have their incomes reduced in this way.”

“There are major concerns in particular as to how this reduction will hit tenant farmers and those such as young entrants who are struggling to pay the bank while trying to build up their businesses.

“However, the 15 per cent decision has been notified to the commission and cannot be undone, and the only option is to focus on getting money back to the industry from Pillar 2 in a meaningful way.”