The Farmers' Union of Wales welcomed the Food Standards Agency’s publication today of a meat testing protocol but has called on the watchdog to further refocus its work on tackling fraud and mislabelling.

The call came after the FSA published its protocol for a UK-wide survey of food authenticity in processed meat products drawn up in collaboration with Defra, the devolved administrations and local authorities.

FUW president Emyr Jones said: “The Welsh livestock industry has been disgusted by the recent revelations that horsemeat has been found in products sold as processed beef and similar stories, and the FSA’s publication of a meat testing protocol is welcome.

“However, a real pattern is emerging which should give people confidence that buying local and buying Welsh means you get exactly what is on the label.

"Those involved in and who have profited from fraudulent mis-labelling at every level of the supply chain should be punished.”

Mr Jones said the revelations highlight concerns, expressed by the FUW over many years, that the FSA has been preoccupied with issues which should not fall within its remit while allowing disturbing practices such as this to go on undetected.

“For many years the FUW has expressed concerns regarding the FSA’s drive to see products which form part of a healthy diet, such as red meat, cheese and Marmite, branded as unhealthy.”

He also highlighted the pressures exerted on suppliers of local food such as small abattoirs and butchers during the FSA review of its charging arrangements.

“Businesses are already paying huge charges to comply with food standards requirements and if these were increased they would have a catastrophic impact on small and medium sized businesses, including local butchers.

“Ironically, such charges play straight into the hands of those who have been found to be producing and selling inferior mis-labelled products, as they are undermining the viability of those who produce fully traceable and local Welsh food.

“It’s time for the FSA to refocus its efforts and concentrate on what consumers genuinely regard as food standards.

"I am always proud to remind consumers the official Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status of Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef, which protects the reputation of regional food products.

"PGI assures consumers Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef have full traceability and are guaranteed to be sourced from lambs or cattle born and reared in Wales.”

Representatives of a company which invented a sleeve that prevents fence posts from rotting and failing at ground level will address the Farmers' Union of Wales Brecon and Radnor county branch annual general meetings this month.

They will talk on the background of why, over the past 20 years, farmers have had the problem of fence posts rotting and what can be done to prevent the problem.

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%.

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.

They developed the protective fence post sleeve after the EU ruled only environment-friendly preservatives could be used to treat timber fencing.

FUW Brecon and Radnor county executive officer Aled Jones said: “This is an issue that is brought up again and again at our monthly meetings and the evenings should be very informative in explaining the background to the problem and the potential remedies.

“I would urge members to attend and also bring along a friend. Refreshments will be available.”

The meetings will be held on February 20 at Brecon Rugby Club (for Brecon, Sennybridge and Penderyn sub-branches) and on February 28 at the FUW Pavilion, RWAS Showground, Llanelwedd (for Builth, Llanwrtyd, Penybont and Rhayader sub-branches). Both meetings will start at 7.30pm.

Farmers in Snowdonia welcomed an announcement by the new North Wales Police Commissioner Winston Roddick of plans to appoint a sergeant and police officer with special responsibility for agriculture and rural areas.

There was a large attendance when Mr Roddick was the guest speaker at the Farmers' Union of Wales Meirionnydd county executive meeting which grasped the opportunity to present their views on rural policing issues.

"Members were extremely pleased with Mr Roddick's announcement to give priority to safety within the home and in public places and that funding will be available to fund 51 extra police officers," said FUW Meirionnydd county executive officer Huw Jones after the meeting.

"We were particularly pleased with the announcement that there will be a dedicated sergeant and a police officer appointed with special responsibilities for agriculture and rural issues.

"We feel the job should include collating information specific to agriculture and should also develop an expertise which will then be of use to other officers within the force.

"Having the visible presence of a police officer in livestock markets will be of great benefit. The SMS alert messaging (text) system has also worked very well in Meirionnydd.

"There is an extensive database of farmers using this system in Meirionnydd and it is important that it continues."

Mr Jones said committee members stressed there was a tremendous increase in the population of Meirionnydd during the summer in coastal areas such as Harlech, Ardudwy, Barmouth, Aberdyfi and Tywyn.

"We feel police coverage for a county such as Meirionnydd should reflect the increase in the population at certain times of year.

"Some members said there was a lack of police coverage during the hours of midnight to 6am and that there is a constant need to take particular notice when livestock is transported at this time of night. It was felt that livestock trailers should be stopped during these times much more often than is currently the case."

The committee noted Mr Roddick's suggestion that there was an opportunity for young farmers to become special constables.

"We will certainly keep this in mind in future discussions and we were pleased that several Meirionnydd YFC members were present at the meeting with their organiser Sioned Evans," said Mr Jones.

"Another issue raised during the meeting was the importance of establishing a good working relationship and links between police in North Wales and other neighbouring forces such as Dyfed Powys. An example was given of a theft on our border with Powys at Machynlleth.

"The importance of CCTV cameras in strategic places within the county was emphasised. Examples were given of thefts in areas such as Tywyn and that the main route out of the area would be the A458 towards Welshpool. Similarly, the placing of cameras on the A494 at Bala would be of great benefit.

"We were particularly pleased to hear of the Commissioner's determination that every attention is given to agriculture and rural areas and that every effort should be made to combat crime. When instances of crime do occur, swift reaction by the police is absolutely imperative."

[caption id="attachment_2273" align="aligncenter" width="300"] COMMISSIONER CALLS: Winston Roddick (far left) with FUW Meirionnydd president Dafydd T Ellis, vice chairman Owain Gwilym Thomas and chairman Olwen Ford.[/caption]

Farmers took the opportunity to quiz the new Natural Resources Wales (NRW) chief executive Emyr Roberts on a number of issues about the development and operation of the new body at a recent meeting of the Farmers’ Union of Wales land use and parliamentary committee.

Dr  Roberts, who was appointed in November last year, told the committee he was keen to build good relations with the industry and that the positive relationships developed over the years with existing bodies would be maintained and improved.

NRW was created through the merger of the Countryside Council for Wales and the Welsh elements of the Environment Agency and Forestry Commission and will become fully operational in April.

Dr Roberts confirmed that farmers should not see any difference in the day-to- day service they currently received from the individual agencies and he took on board a number of comments and concerns expressed by members on future engagement with farming.

Committee chairman Gavin Williams said the meeting had been an opportunity to meet Dr Roberts to discuss a range of issues such as how the new body will engage with farmers and landowners and the need for careful consideration on how powers attributed to the current bodies will be conferred to the NRW.

“Our first meeting with him was a positive one and the committee will maintain a dialogue with Dr Roberts, board members and other staff within NRW for the benefit of a healthy environment and a sustainable and profitable farming industry,” added Mr Williams.

[caption id="attachment_2269" align="aligncenter" width="300"] From left: FUW president Emyr Jones, Natural Resources Wales chief executive Emyr Roberts and FUW land use and parliamentary committee chairman Gavin Williams[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2257" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Younger Voice for Farming Committee Chairman Darren Williams[/caption]

The Farmers' Union of Wales has urged all Welsh county councils to show greater commitment to the next generation of farmers by actively helping them secure tenancies of local authority-owned agricultural holdings.

The FUW keeps the future of the Welsh farming industry at the heart of its work and last year set up a "Younger Voice for Farming Committee".

Now the committee's chairman, tenant farmer Darren Williams, of Garthbrengy, Breconshire, has written to local authorities throughout Wales and the Welsh Local Government Association stressing that county council holdings (CCHs) are a valuable and essential route into farming across Wales.

"Many young farmers and new entrants have limited access to land, compounded by prohibitive land prices and rental values. CCHs, therefore, provide an important stepping stone into the industry for the next generation," Mr Williams wrote.

However, the FUW fears a number of local authorities are consolidating and disposing of these holdings or reducing the length of tenancy agreements to the extent that investment in holdings by tenants becomes unviable.

The new committee is concerned that councils are struggling to move older tenants on from the medium/larger sized holdings preventing the younger generation accessing them. This results in stagnation within the industry and a less dynamic local rural economy.

"It is understandable why tenants, who have been farmers all their lives, would not want to abandon the farming industry altogether.

"It is, therefore, suggested that councils should consider offering the older generation tenant one of the smaller CCHs as a retirement/smallholding opportunity, releasing the larger holdings for a new generation of tenants in order to facilitate their entry into the industry," Mr Williams stated.

His letter also mentioned that some local authorities are no longer employing an in-house land agent. "This can often result in an expensive service that delivers little for both the tenant and landlord.

"The union asks that neighbouring councils group together and employ a full time agent specifically to deal with CCHs and believes this would represent better delivery for local authorities, tenants and the public purse."

Members of the new committee are also concerned that councils no longer consider CCHs as a service to their county despite the 1970 Agriculture Act specifying that local authorities should "aim to provide opportunities for persons to be farmers on their own account by letting holdings to them”.

"We are constantly reminded of the need to encourage the youngest and brightest talent into agriculture and, for many, CCHs remain one of the only entry routes in the industry," Mr Williams stated. "CCHs must therefore be kept as a legacy for future generations."

The committee expressed further concern that if CCHs are no longer intended as "holdings for life" then councils have a duty to assist tenants to move on to larger holdings.

"If the CCH system works as it should, then these farms should hold the prospective tenants for the private sector landlords," Mr Williams added.

Twenty young pupils from the London Welsh School joined Farmers’ Union of Wales president Emyr Jones and deputy president Glyn Roberts on a recent visit to a city farm in the south-east of the UK’s capital.

The 90-acre Woodlands Farm, on the borders of Greenwich and Bexley, is the largest city farm in Europe and represents part of London’s vanishing countryside. It includes old hedgerows, fragments of ancient woodland and traditionally managed hay meadows.

[caption id="attachment_2263" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Woodland Farm Trust project manager David Jones leads pupils on their tour of the farm[/caption]

“It was a pleasure to visit the farm to see how things are run on a city farm and show the children how it is managed as well as introducing them to a little bit of countryside,” said Emyr Jones.

Saved from road and housing developments by local campaigners in the 1980s and 90s, the Woodlands Farm Trust (WFT) was established in 1997 to safeguard the farm and its unique environment.

FUW member and WFT project manager David Jones, originally from Llanrhystud, Ceredigion, was delighted to see the children learn about farming practises and the animals on farm.

He said: “With so many diverse habitats on the farm there is much to learn and explore, from the farmyard to the ponds, woodland and hay meadows.

“It was wonderful to have the children from the London Welsh School at the farm. They took a great interest during the whole visit and indeed showed a good knowledge of farming.

“They also had great fun in creating felt flowers from wool with our education officer Hannah Forshaw.

“The WFT supports the FUW in their campaign to support the Welsh rural economy and Welsh culture. Europe is a richer place if cultures remain diverse and strong.”

The farm is managed in a way that respects habitats and enhances biodiversity, focusing on conservation and education for all the local community to enjoy.

Activities on the farm include traditional hedgerow management and making hay from the meadows with conservation grazing using rare and minority breed cattle and sheep after the hay cut.

[caption id="attachment_2264" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Pupils feel the fleece from the sheep flock at the farm’s classroom[/caption]

Breeds kept on the farm include Irish Moiled and British White cattle and Lleyn, Dorset Down and Herdwick sheep.

The farm is a major community and educational resource with over 3,000 schoolchildren visiting annually.

London Welsh School head teacher Julie Sullivan, who accompanied the children on their visit, said: “This was an excellent opportunity to see the farm animals. The children got see the cows, sheep and pigs as well a meeting the farm pony.

“They enjoyed the chance to stroke the chickens and hold the guinea pigs as well as exploring the traditional farm craft of felt making, which is made from wool.

“Welsh heritage and culture is an important part of the London Welsh School curriculum and many children have farming links back home in Wales.  Farming and the countryside is embedded in our Welsh heritage and is not forgotten just because we are living in London.

“Thank you to the Farmers’ Union of Wales for inviting the children on such an exciting trip.”

[caption id="attachment_2261" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Smelling the hay[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2262" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Pupils make friends with a happy hen watched by (from right) London Welsh School head teacher Julie Sullivan, FUW president Emyr Jones and Woodlands Farm Trust education officer Hannah Forshaw.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2260" align="aligncenter" width="300"] London Welsh School pupils feeding sheep on the farm[/caption]