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.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales today slammed the Welsh Government’s rejection of its request to extend the deadline for hedge trimming despite one of the wettest years in history making access to fields dangerous and damaging over recent months.

In its representations to deputy agriculture minister Alun Davies, the union highlighted the record breaking rainfalls over the past 12 months and requested a derogation from the rules which prohibits hedge trimming from tomorrow (March 1).

But in response the Welsh Government merely reiterated the rules regarding the March 1 deadline and the fact that farmers could apply to their Welsh Government Divisional Offices for exemptions in certain circumstances, judged on a case-by-case basis.

FUW president Emyr Jones said regular hedge trimming was an important management tool for farmers to keep hedges stock-proof and dense enough to provide valuable shelter for wildlife.

“Farmers prefer to trim hedges early in the year but the unprecedented weather conditions over the past 12 months meant it was impossible to get hedge trimming equipment onto many fields without compromising the health and safety of the operator or damaging land.

“We had requested a derogation from the deadline to allow farmers to catch up with hedge trimming operations, but the Welsh Government has ignored our request.

“It is shocking and disappointing to say the least that the exceptional circumstances acknowledged by everyone, including the Met Office, are being treated as the norm by the Welsh Government.”

Mr Jones said the decision gave out a message of indifference to the needs of the industry and ignorance regarding the severe impact that record levels of rainfall have had on agriculture over the past year.

“The Welsh Government seems to be under the impression that it has been possible to catch up for months of lost work during a few days of dry weather, but for those who work outdoors the reality is very different.

“Even when snows have melted and access to land has been safe and practicable, the backlog of work amongst contractors means it has been impossible for them to service everyone’s requirements.”

Mr Jones said that many areas of land which had thawed out remained as wet and unsafe as ever.

“This decision leaves large numbers of farmers in an impossible position and I would urge all those who are affected to contact their divisional offices to highlight their needs.”