The problem of fence posts rotting was the subject of the Farmers' Union of Wales Brecon and Radnor county branch annual general meetings.

The issue, which has been constantly highlighted by members over recent years, is a costly and time consuming issue for most farmers and the guest speakers were Ian Smith, of Postsaver Europe Ltd, and Eifion Price from Llandre Sawn Wood Ltd based at Hundred House, Llandrindod Wells.

Mr Price said: “Many farmers and landowners are unaware of the growing problem of premature fence failure associated with the ban on traditional copper, chrome and arsenic preservatives in favour of more environment-friendly options following the EU wide ban of CCA preservatives in 2004.

"These ‘greener’ preservatives are far less effective and mean perfectly good fences are being scrapped because timber posts have rotted through at ground level within a few years.”

Mr Price added that preservatives were improving with time since the ban in 2004. He explained that stakes need to be dried to the correct moisture content before being tanalised - white wood to 28 per cent and red wood to 38 per cent - to allow the tanalising to penetrate further into the stake.

Llandre Sawn Wood are currently upgrading their drying plant with a biomass generator using their own waste. The tanalising process is also remotely operated by the preservative suppliers to ensure the correct amount of chemical is in the posts.

Mr Smith said: “Our product was designed to protect the most vulnerable part of a fence post from rotting organisms. Postsaver is a tough, double layer polythene and bituminous sleeve developed by brothers Richard and Jim George in response to changes in EU preservative legislation.”

Savvy entrepreneurs Richard and Jim George, who spurned a £160,000 deal on the Dragons’ Den TV series, have seen sales of their anti-rot fencing post sleeves soar by 75 per cent. The brothers, from Malvern, Worcestershire, stunned the panel of multi-millionaires on the hit BBC 2 programme when they declined four offers for a stake in their Gloucestershire-based business.

Mr Smith said: “Postsaver’s patented dual layer composite sleeves simply slide over fence posts and are easily shrunk onto the ground line section with a blow torch. They work by keeping preservatives in and the causes of decay away from the vulnerable part of the post thus dramatically extending lifespan and give substantial long term cost savings.

“They have been in production for 20 years and we’ve sold millions of them all over the world. Add to this 12 years of independent field tests without any material signs of decay and AWPA (American Wood Preservers Association) approval proving that Postsaver really will dramatically extend the life of your posts saving you time and money over the dramatically extended lifespan of your posts.

“Postsaver now has a working relationship with Llandre Sawn Wood to supply posts with the sleeves already applied.  We were very impressed with Llandre’s professional approach to timber treatment and the fact that they are putting the sleeves onto the post for virtually the same price as the sleeve itself.”

Members asked about the cost of the Postsaver sleeves and Mr Price explained they added around 90 pence to a 3-4 inch post but given the extra life-span of the post and the cost of erecting a fence then it could be argued it is a very cost-effective solution.

FUW Brecon and Radnor county executive officer Aled Jones said: "Both meetings were very informative and gave members a great deal of information on the problem and possible solutions.

“Postsaver and Llandre are happy to attend similar meetings with farmers in other Welsh counties. Ian Smith, of Postsaver, can be contacted on 0791 747 5366 and Llandre on 01982 570 329."

[caption id="attachment_2336" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Members and staff of FUW Brecon and Radnor branches with guest speakers Ian Smith, of Postsaver Ltd, and Gary and Eifion Price from Llandre Sawn Wood[/caption]

The Farmers' Union of Wales today congratulated Alun Davies on his appointment as Welsh Government natural resources and food minister and welcomed the merger of his previous responsibilities for agriculture, fisheries and food with those of the former environment minister under a single portfolio.

"We have had major concerns regarding the splitting of the previous rural affairs department since Mr Davies was appointed deputy minister nearly two years ago," said FUW president Emyr Jones.

"Since then the union has tried to give the new administration the benefit of the doubt despite those concerns regarding the impact of dividing key agricultural issues between ministerial portfolios.

"Major changes were needed to ensure agricultural issues are dealt with in a more coordinated manner, particularly when policies impact upon agriculture and the environment and the interdependence between these issues continues to be a key topic in negotiations over the future of the Common Agricultural Policy.

"We wish Mr Davies all the best in his new role as Minister and hope to be discussing those issues of concern to our members at a meeting in the near future."

The Farmers’ Union of Wales Council has called on scientists to recognise the huge damage being caused to the environment and cattle herds as a result of a massive increase in badger numbers, following a report by the University of East Anglia which highlights the need to reduce deer numbers to protect wildlife.

Speaking after yesterday’s (Thursday March 7) Council meeting, FUW president Emyr Jones said: “These researchers have quite rightly highlighted the damaging impact that an expanded deer population in some parts of the UK is having on woodlands, and the knock-on effect on other animals such as woodland birds.

“Generally deer are not a major problem in most of Wales, but we have a badger population which has grown to unbelievable levels since the 1970s, and badgers are now found living and foraging on mountains and moorland at heights of over 1000ft above sea level – well away from their traditional woodland habitats”.

Mr Jones said that scientists must have the backbone to apply the same logic they apply to deer numbers to badgers.

“We know from a variety of sources that badger numbers in Wales have increased many-fold since the 1970s.

“Some farms have seen at least a five-fold increase, and it is pretty obvious that five times more badgers need five times as much food. They don’t get that food from the local supermarket; a large proportion of their diet is made up of other animals,” added Mr Jones.

Mr Jones said that hedgehogs, slow worms, bumble bees and ground-nesting birds were among just some of the species suffering as a result of high badger numbers, while there was a general scientific consensus that the current cattle TB epidemic could be largely attributed to increased badger numbers and the fact that badgers can carry and pass on TB.

In 2006, Dr Pat Morris warned in ‘The New Hedgehog Book’ that the implications of the increase in badger numbers for hedgehog survival in the UK “…are serious...ignoring the issue or pretending that badgers exist only by harmless drinking of rainwater doesn’t help at all”.

Mr Jones said: “People take a ‘hear no evil, see no evil’ approach to badgers and place them on a pedestal, and many scientists and politicians are terrified of speaking out and acknowledging the truth.

“That truth is that badgers are decimating our wildlife and decimating our cattle herds, and their numbers should be reduced to acceptable and sustainable levels.

“It is legal to control deer to protect cattle from TB and to protect wildlife from damage, and that principle should be extended to allow the humane control of badgers.

“Scientists should not be intimidated by animal rights extremists into keeping quiet about the decimation caused by badgers to our wildlife and livestock.”

[caption id="attachment_3601" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Brian Thomas on his B275 International tractor which he will use on his marathon charity ploughing feat.[/caption]

Farmers' Union of Wales finance and organisation committee member Brian Thomas will attempt to plough 19 acres on his farm in 12 hours using a classic 50-year-old B275 International tractor and three-furrow plough in a bid to help raise funds for charity.

Mr Thomas hopes to raise around £1,000 for the FUW president's chosen charity Cancer Research Wales at Llwyncelyn Lan Farm, Llanfyrnach, Pembrokeshire, on Saturday April 7 when he will tackle the marathon and simultaneously host a ploughing match on the farm.

"Ploughing is one of the oldest crafts of the countryside, going back many thousands of years," he said.

"A pair of Shire horses can plough approximately an acre a day but I am hoping to get through at least an acre an hour and raise as much money for the charity as possible.

"It is also great to host a vintage ploughing match for the Llangolman Ploughing Society on the farm again. The last ploughing match here on the farm took place in 1924.

"The match will be the 24th event to be held by the society in Pembrokeshire and will see farmers go head to head ploughing 40 plots which will have been measured prior to the day."

The Llangolman Ploughing Society was set up in the 1930s but, like many other societies, gave up due to the war.

In 1988 the society was resurrected and hasn't looked back since.

To register for the ploughing match contact Ethel Bryan, West End Farm, Llawhaden, Narberth, on 01437 541 301.

To sponsor Mr Thomas in his ploughing marathon contact the FUW Pembrokeshire county office on 01437 762 913.

The horsemeat scandal has shown it is time to get back to basics by respecting our food, our food producers and, above all, our consumers, Farmers' Union of Wales president Emyr Jones stressed today.

"Making sure all labelling meets the high standards of Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Welsh Beef and Welsh Lamb would mark a significant step towards achieving this," he added after revealing he had written to all Welsh local authority and health board chief executives.

In his letter, Mr Jones stated the revelations regarding horsemeat entering a variety of food chains, including some for which local authorities were responsible, caused significant anger amongst Welsh farmers.

The issue highlighted the potential dangers - in terms of fraudulently misleading consumers and threats to human health - of procurement policies which did little more than pay lip-service to quality and provenance.

The letter added that FUW members reacted angrily to recent revelations in relation to the BBC series Operation Hospital Food, and claims made during the One Show, that Welsh hospital suppliers were unable to source Welsh Lamb despite Welsh Lamb being routinely supplied to some English Health Boards.

"For many years, the FUW has highlighted the direct contrast between Welsh Government food strategies aimed at supporting and boosting Welsh produce and the Welsh economy, and procurement processes implemented at every level of Welsh government which fly in the face of those strategies and do anything but lead by example," Mr Jones stated.

"While public procurement law has consistently been used as a scapegoat for those authorities supplying non-Welsh produce to Welsh consumers, such arguments do not stand up to scrutiny, particularly when one considers that authorities and educational bodies across the EU are able to specify local and quality produce - including through clauses which allow quality Welsh Lamb to be supplied in Roman schools - during the procurement process.

"The ultimate irony is that our children may have been regularly eating New Zealand lamb and horsemeat labelled as beef, despite being surrounded by Welsh sheep and cattle reared in accordance with strict traceability and welfare rules.

"Given the above, the FUW believes that all those involved in supply chains, including local and health authorities, must reassess the way in which they procure food; in essence, the revelations of recent months must be regarded as a warning about the dangers of pursuing previous policies, and a turning point which results in a refocus on provenance, quality and traceability."

The Farmers' Union of Wales today welcomed 2 Sisters Food Group’s acquisition of VION's poultry and red meat processing businesses at Sandycroft on Deeside, Llangefni and Merthyr Tydfil but expressed concern that the future of a second VION-owned red meat plant at Gaerwen on Anglesey is still under threat.

FUW livestock, wool and marts committee chairman, Anglesey beef and sheep farmer Dafydd Roberts, said: "We welcome this announcement but remain concerned for the future of VION's Welsh Country Foods lamb processing plant at Gaerwen.

"We very much hope that this plant, which employs 360 people, will be allowed to continue operating as normal in the future.

"Welsh Country Foods, which has been under threat of closure since mid-January after losing a contract to supply Asda, is the only major processing facility for Welsh lamb in North Wales, handling 640,000 lambs per annum.

"Any loss of processing at Gaerwen would be a huge blow to the local economy and the community of Anglesey, as well as to the wider Welsh farming community.

"Hopefully, 2 Sisters' latest acquisitions in north and south Wales will provide a positive boost to the economy of the region."

Birmingham-based 2 Sisters Food Group was established in 1993 by its chief executive Ranjit Singh and remains a privately-owned company with 35 manufacturing sites in the UK and Ireland, six in Holland and one in Poland.

The group employs around 18,000 people with annual sales of over £2.3bn following the acquisitions of Northern Foods and Brookes Avana in 2011.