The Farmers' Union of Wales today warned Welsh farmers that they may become the target for fraudsters seeking to obtain their bank details over the telephone or online to coincide with the release of their Single Farm Payments.

"The Welsh Government and other UK agriculture departments have already been made aware by UK banks that fraudsters may be targeting the agricultural sector," said FUW president Emyr Jones.

"Although Rural Payments Wales say they have not been informed of any Welsh victims of this fraud we would still urge farmers to be vigilant and bear in mind the possibility they may be approached by fraudsters posing as an official from their bank or other organisation."

Rural Payments Wales has advised that the UK paying agencies and other official bodies will never ask for personal or banking data by telephone or by e-mail.

Their message is the same as with all advice to avoid fraud:

• Your bank will never request your full online banking information,
• Your bank will never request a token response to log into your online banking account,
• Your bank will never ask you to make a payment over the phone using your online account,
• If your "bank" asks you to call back you should ensure you can hear a dial tone first, or use a mobile to call your bank directly, as the phone line may be held open by the fraudsters.

[caption id="attachment_249" align="aligncenter" width="550"] From right, Grace Vasami, Gino Vasami, Tony Vasami and his partner Maja Rzeczycka and daughter Maria[/caption]

A passion for good food and a love of the Welsh countryside and its people are the driving force behind an Italian family-run restaurant on the outskirts of Ffostrasol, near Llandysul in Ceredigion.

Gino Vasami, who farms 110 acres at Rhydgoch farm, Ffostrasol, converted the old milking parlour and set up the La Calabria restaurant for his son Tony in November 2003.

Gino's father Antonio was captured by the British in the siege of Tobruk, North Africa, and brought to prisoner-of-war camp near Ffostrasol at Henllan. While in captivity Antonio worked on farms in Ceredigion, falling in love with the land and its people.

On his release he went back to Italy for one year but returned to Ceredigion with his family to farm in 1946. Antonio purchased Hill View farm for £1,000 and started off with just 18 acres and four milking cows. Over the generations the family has gone from strength to strength and expanded the family business to three holdings.

Tony and Gino farm in partnership with Tony Hack and his wife Arlene, of nearby Glasfryn farm and, using their own milk, the family produce ice cream following an old Italian family recipe for the restaurant. They have established over 20 flavours by now.

All of the produce from the farm is used in the restaurant with the animals being taken for slaughter in Tregaron. Gino's great nephew, Steffan Hack, has also purchased some Charollais sheep whose lambs will be on the restaurant menu by Easter next year.

In the Summer months the family also grow herbs and vegetables in the garden that are used in the restaurant. They include chilli peppers and artichokes.

"When my son Tony came back to live in Wales after working for big chain hotels in London, he helped me on the farm but I could tell that farming was not really in his heart so I asked him what he wanted to do and he really wanted his own restaurant," said Gino.

"So we sold Hill View farm in 2000 and invested the money in the restaurant. I converted the old parlour on my own and only sought help with the roof.

"It took me about three years to finish the job. It is the best thing we ever did and we have just celebrated our fifth anniversary."

Gino was four years old when he came to live in Ceredigion and had to return to Italy for his military service. It was during this time that he learnt how restaurants were being run in Calabria, a southern region of Italy, and this is how he runs the restaurant together with his wife Grace, 55, and son Tony.

"The way things grow in Calabria, it is with sun. You can taste it, you can smell it. The food is just great. I wanted to bring this passion and the flavours of Italy to Wales for a long time," said Gino.

"The restaurant is going from strength to strength but if it weren't for the local people here in Wales we would not be able to keep the place going. Their support since we opened the restaurant has just been fantastic.

"I go back to Italy once a year as my wife Grace still has family over there but my heart and way of life is here in Wales. Wales is just fantastic, apart from the weather."

Tony Vasami previously worked at the Regents Park Marriott Hotel in Swiss Cottage in London prior to 2003 for four years as food and beverage manager looking after the bar, restaurant, room service and banqueting departments.

He said: "It was a busy 305-bedroom hotel in the heart of London. As it was close to the Emirates Stadium we had many football teams staying there like Man Utd, Blackburn, Newcastle Utd and also the England cricket team when they played their test matches at Lords. it was an amazing experience but I wanted to come back to Wales.

"Before we opened the restaurant I had help from Farming Connect to prepare a business plan and obtain valuable information about the tourist economy in West Wales.

"The interesting thing for me at the time was that, although the standard of tourist accommodation in West Wales was high, places to eat were very poor and the first choice of restaurant to visit more than any other was an Italian.

"As there were none in West Wales at the time, I thought I had definitely found a little niche in the market. With my knowledge of the industry and my mother's cooking skills I thought we would do well."

Gino added: "My wife Grace is the driving force in the kitchen and she does all of the cooking. The restaurant can now seat 70 people and it is because of her cooking people come here.

"The sauce is the most important thing when it comes to cooking Italian food. My mum did the sauce the old-fashioned way and she taught my wife. And this is how Grace still cooks in the restaurant

[caption id="attachment_4063" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Mari Eluned's crown on the banks of the River Dyfi[/caption]

Defnyddir gwlân glas Cymreig i gyfleu llif yr afon Ddyfi yn y Goron sydd i’w gwobrwyo yn Eisteddfod Powys a gynhelir yng Nghanolfan y Celfyddydau’r Tabernacl ym Machynlleth ar Hydref 26 a 27.

Comisiynwyd Mari Eluned, cynllunydd gemwaith Cymreig gan ganghennau sirol Meirionnydd a Threfaldwyn o Undeb Amaethwyr Cymru i wneud y Goron a gafodd ei throsglwyddo’n swyddogol i gadeirydd yr Eisteddfod John Price mewn cyfarfod arbennig o bwyllgor gweithredol yr Eisteddfod.

“Daw’r ysbrydoliaeth am y Goron hon o ardal Bro Ddyfi a’i hanes ac mae’r cynllun yn seiliedig ar Goron Owain Glynd?r gydag addasiadau i gyfleu’r afon Ddyfi,” dywedodd Mari sydd wedi ei magu ar fferm anghysbell yn Eryri ac sydd bellach yn byw ym Mallwyd ger Machynlleth.

Mae’n disgrifio’i chreadigaeth fel un tebyg i’r Goron aur ac arian a grefftwyd ar gyfer coroni Owain Glynd?r fel Tywysog Cymru ar Fehefin 21 1404.

“Defnyddiwyd llechen o chwarel Aberllefenni er mwyn cadw naws leol y Goron a’i chyfuno gydag arian”, dywedodd.

“Mae ymyl y Goron wedi’i morthwylio i gyfleu glan yr afon ac mae’r gwlân Cymreig wedi ei lifo’n las naturiol gan roi awgrym o lif yr afon.

“Yn ogystal â’r gwlân, mae’r ddelwedd o ddefaid ac ?yn sydd wedi cael eu hysgythru i’r arian yn adlewyrchu pwysigrwydd amaethyddiaeth yn Nyffryn Dyfi a’r cyffiniau ac yn ddolen gyswllt addas gyda changhennau UAC sy’n noddi’r Goron.”

Dywedodd Huw Jones, swyddog gweithredol sirol cangen Meirionnydd o UAC bod yr Undeb yn hynod o falch i fod yn gysylltiedig gyda’r eisteddfod a’i bod hi’n fraint cael cyflwyno un o’r prif wobrau.

“Mae Mari wedi sefydlu busnes llwyddiannus yn creu gemwaith Cymreig unigryw sy’n defnyddio deunydd naturiol.

“Mae ei dawn greadigol yn boblogaidd iawn ac mae’n gwerthu ei chreadigaethau ar hyd a lled Prydain yn ogystal ag i bellafion byd.

“Mae’n defnyddio deunyddiau naturiol wedi eu cyfuno gyda mhetalau ac yn eu trawsnewid i ddarnau o emwaith cywrain a thlws sy’n cael eu hysbrydoli gan natur, amaethyddiaeth a’i Chymreictod.

“Mae’n ymfalchïo yn ansawdd y grefft a’i chynlluniau unigryw ac yn creu pob darn a llaw.

“Roedd ganddi ddawn greadigol naturiol o oedran cynnar sydd wedi datblygu yn ystod ei hamser yn yr ysgol a’r coleg ac sydd bellach wedi dod yn yrfa iddi.”

Ar ôl graddio o Brifysgol Loughborough yn 2006, gydag anrhydedd dosbarth cyntaf fel Gemweithydd a Gof Arian, sefydlodd Mari weithdy ei hun yn ei chartref ym Mallwyd ac yn 2009 enillodd wobr Blas a Dawn Gwynedd 2009 “Crefftwr /Arlunydd Ifanc y Flwyddyn”.

MI fydd stondin Undeb Amaethwyr Cymru (rhif 115-116) yn fwrlwm o brysurdeb yn ystod wythnos yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yn Llandw ym Mro Morgannwg (Awst 4-Awst 11) pan fydd ymwelwyr yn mynd ar daith nôl mewn amser wrth weld arddangosfa o offer fferm a ffotograffau.

Bydd cyfle iddynt ddyfalu enwau a defnydd yr hen offer fferm, ac edrych ar ffotograffiau o beiriannau amaethyddol sydd wedi cael eu hadnewyddu i'w ffurf weithiol o eiddo Lydric Jenkins, aelod UAC.

Bydd y stondin yn dangos ychydig o ddiddordeb oes Mr Jenkins er mwyn cyfleu gwaith ymroddedig ffermwyr Cymru.

Hefyd bydd Eisteddfodwyr yn cael eu hannog i ddangos eu cefnogaeth i ffermwyr llaeth Cymru wrth arwyddo llythyr agored i'r archfarchnadoedd a phroseswyr llaeth  yn pwysleisio'r angen  i bawb sydd ynghlwm a'r gadwyn gyflenwi llaeth i weithio gyda'i gilydd i sicrhau pris derbyniol a chynaliadwy i'w dderbyn gan bawb.

Bydd model gwir faint o fuwch odro o'r enw Tegwen, sydd wedi'i phaentio'n lliwiau baner Cymru yn pwysleisio ymgyrch UAC i sicrhau pris teg am laeth yn ystod yr ?yl.

I gefnogi ymgyrch llaeth teg yr Undeb, bydd amrywiaeth o ddiodydd llaeth organig o wahanol flasau, sy'n cael eu cynhyrchu yn Sir Benfro gan gwmni teuluol Trioni Cyf a roddir allan gan Daioni ar gael i blant i'w blasu.

"Gan bod yr Eisteddfod yn gymysg eclectig o'r hen a'r newydd yn ogystal â dathliad o Gymru a'i diwylliant, rydym yn llawn cyffro wrth ddathlu'r hen ddulliau o ffermio ac yn cynnig mewnwelediad i'r dulliau a ddefnyddiwyd i gynhyrchu ein bwyd," dywedodd Rachel Taylor, swyddog gweithrol sirol Morgannwg.

"Rydym yn hynod o falch o gael y cyfle i gefnogi'r Eisteddfod ym Morgannwg, ac rydym am groesawu ymwelwyr i stondin UAC drwy gydol wythnos yr ?yl ar gyfer llunieth," ychwanegodd Miss Taylor.

Mae Davis Meade, ymgynghorwyr eiddo'r Undeb a chwmni egni E-ON hefyd yn gweithio ar y cyd gyda UAC er mwyn cynnig asesiadau egni ar gyfer busnesau fferm ymwelwyr ac i sicrhau bod ffermwyr yn derbyn y pris gorau posib am eu cyflenwad trydan.

Bydd UAC hefyd yn hyrwyddo ei chynllun bwrsariaeth ar gyfer myfyrwyr newydd sy'n cael ei gynnig i fyfyrwyr addysg bellach ac uwch sy'n astudio cyrsiau amaethyddol.

Mi fydd yr ansawdd uchel o gynnyrch fferm lleol yn cael ei bwysleisio ar stondin Undeb Amaethwyr Cymru yn ystod Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yr Urdd sydd i'w chynnal ar gampws Coleg Meirion Dwyfor Glynllifon ger Caernarfon yr wythnos nesaf.

Bydd mapiau'n dangos y cynnyrch sydd ar gael a'r nifer o atyniadau gwahanol sydd arnynt i bawb eu mwynhau ar ffermydd o fewn yr hen Sir Gaernarfon, thema sy'n amlygu ymgyrch cenedlaethol UAC sef "Rwy'n caru bwyd Cymreig".

Hefyd bydd yna gystadleuaeth chwilair yn ymwneud â chynnyrch fferm yn cael ei chynnal yn ddyddiol o ddydd Llun tan ddydd Iau (Mehefin 4-7) gyda gwobrau cyffrous i'w hennill yn cynnwys camerâu Samsung PL121, Nintendo 3DS lliw glas gyda gêm Mario a chês, ac iPod Touch 8GB gyda doc ar gyfer yr iPod a chês.

Ar ddydd Gwener a dydd Sadwrn (Mehefin 8-9), bydd cyfle i bawb ateb cyfres o gwestiynnau am ddiwydiant amaeth y sir a chael y cyfle i ennill Kindle Touch a chês, a ffôn symudol Samsung Y. Noddwyd yr holl gystadlaethau gan gwmnïau Wynnstay, cyflenwyr amaethyddol, Davis Meade, Cyfreithwyr Gamlins, Bwrdd Marchnata Gwlân Prydain, Cynghorwyr Annibynnol Sterling a W H Evans, Felin Llecheiddior.

Mae disgwyl i'r stondin fod yn ferw o brysurdeb drwy gydol yr wythnos ar gyfer pob oedran gydag arddangosfeydd o gynnyrch sy'n gwneud bwydydd anifeiliaid gan Mr Meurig Huws o Gwmni Wynnstay, a gwahanol gynnyrch a wneir allan o wlân gan y Bwrdd Marchnata Gwlân Prydain.

Bydd croeso cynnes a phaned o de yn disgwyl pawb ar y stondin lliwgar sydd wedi cael ei haddurno gan flodau'n rhoddedig yn hael gan Ganolfan Arddio Bryncir.

Ymysg cystadlaethau eraill sydd i'w cynnal yn ystod yr wythnos mae lliwio ar gyfer plant, a'r gwobrau ar gyfer rhain fydd tractor mawr coch neu dractor mawr glas all plentyn eistedd arnynt, yn rhoddedig gan Emyr Evans a'i Gwmni, Gaerwen a Dinbych, a Thractors Menai o Lanwnda.

O lenwi holiadur UAC/BT, caiff ymwelwyr y cyfle i ennill ffôn a pheiriant ateb ar gyfer y cartref neu'r swyddfa a bydd aelodau o Ffederasiwn CFfI Eryri yn peintio gwynebau ar y stondin trwy gydol yr wythnos. Yn ogystal, bydd yna gyfle i blant wrando ar Margiad Roberts yn darllen straeon am y cymeriad poblogaidd.

Mae cyfle hefyd i ennill gwobrau amrywiol wrth "odro" Seren - model gwir faint o fuwch odro, sydd ar fenthyg o Sefydliad Gwyddorau Biolegol, Amgylcheddol a Gwledig, Prifysgol Cymru, Aberystwyth.  Rhowch gynnig ar faint o laeth medrwch "odro" mewn i fwced mewn 30 eiliad a dyfalu faint o anifeiliaid fferm sydd yn y botel.

Noddwyr gweithgareddau'r wythnos yw aelodau o dîm Gwasanaethau Yswiriant FUW sef Gwasanaeth Yswiriant BIBU, Gwasanaeth Yswiriant Rural a Gwasanaeth Yswiriant Farmweb.

[caption id="attachment_259" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Emyr Jones, President[/caption]

In wishing each one of you a prosperous 2012, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support during my first six months as President.

It is a massive honour to have been appointed President of a union whose principles have always mirrored my own, and to have the opportunity to fight for an industry which is so important to each one of us.

It is natural at this time of year to look back on the previous 12 months and wonder what will change over the coming year.

On a positive note, farmers can be thankful for prices which are so much closer to what they should be compared with the average over past decade.

However, as any business knows, better prices alone do not equal better profit and rises in production costs have severely undermined margins across the industry, leaving the vast majority still completely reliant on CAP payments.

With the Euro-Sterling exchange rate being a main factor in maintaining livestock prices, how the Eurozone crisis will develop over the coming months is a major concern which is beyond our control in terms of receipts from the marketplace.

However, input costs are something which we do have a little more control over and, for many of us, simply assessing where we currently stand in terms of precise input costs would be a major step forward.

Those who have undertaken such assessments and have not identified at least some room for improvement - however small - are few and far between. Therefore, I believe that, in 2012 and beyond, properly assessing such costs must be an increasing focus for the industry and one for which we must take responsibility ourselves.

In this context, I believe that there is much that many livestock farmers can learn from the dairy sector which, despite recent improvements, continues to suffer from farmgate prices which do not reflect input costs and a fair standard of living.

These are issues which the FUW will continue to target over the coming year as well as tackling the numerous disappointing developments which have emerged over the past 12 months - the decision to downgrade the Welsh Government's rural affairs department and devolve animal health to another ministerial portfolio; the complete abandonment of recognition of Wales' LFA areas; and the decision to delay an announcement on the north Pembrokeshire badger cull pending a pointless review of the science, to name just a few.

Sadly, these decisions have been made in spite of the hard work of the FUW which has continually been at the forefront of the fight for what is best for Welsh agriculture, work which will continue in 2012 and beyond.

However, compared with previous years, a new focus has emerged in the form of the imminent reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and the need to influence developments at every stage in the negotiation process.

Over the past year we have attended countless meetings with politicians and civil servants both in Wales and in Europe in order to shape thinking over the future of the CAP and it was therefore gratifying to hear George Lyon MEP stating at our autumn conference that the FUW had already been instrumental in changing the shape of the Regulations in a way which is positive for Wales.

While such changes must be welcomed, our work in influencing thinking at an EU level has only just begun and must continue and accelerate in 2012 if we are to further shape the policy in a way which does not displace genuine farmers and undermine food production at a time when severe global food shortages and starvation are imminent.

To this end it is essential that the EU recognises the massive damage that their current proposals will cause, not least due to the proposed introduction of greening measures into Pillar 1, and the dire implications of abandoning our current entitlements and recreating them on the basis of areas declared in 2014.

To put it bluntly, the current proposals do nothing which is in line with the key priorities identified by the European Commission and Parliament and to top it all will be an administrative nightmare for the Welsh Government.

While there is much we can and will fight to change in terms of the future CAP - including lobbying our own Welsh MEPs, who now have co-decision making powers - it is certainly inevitable that some form of flat-rate single payment will be introduced over a transition period after 2013.

Since 2009, a priority for the FUW has been to allow the industry to assess the possible impacts of various different payment models, both by producing our own modelling data and lobbying Government to do the same.

It is only with this information that the industry will be able to properly assess what is likely to be best for Wales and we are committed to ensuring efforts are stepped up to produce as much information as possible in 2012 so farmers can judge the impacts of various systems and make their own minds up as to what is best.

While dealing with this, and the diverse range of other issues which impact on members, will continue to be central to the union's work, a priority which is second to none is the essential services we provide to members on a day-to-day basis, through our network of county Offices.

Whether it is overarching issues which relate to European or domestic policies and problems, or the huge volumes of unique cases dealt with on behalf of members by our county office staff, the FUW will continue to do all it can in 2012 to fight for the interests of members.

Without the dedication of staff and FUW committee members at every level that work would be impossible and I would, therefore, like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have worked so hard over the past year to further the interests of FUW members and Welsh agriculture and wish you all the best for the coming year.