The FUW Anglesey Office held an ‘open to all members’ webinar on 19 November to discuss Ash Dieback including a presentation from Jacob Milner, Ash Dieback Coordinator for Anglesey County Council.

Ash dieback is expected to affect / kill over 90% of the Ash trees in the UK. To put it into context, the Dutch Elm Disease during the 90's killed around 80 billion Elm trees, whereas Ash dieback has the potential to infect two billion Ash trees.

This will affect FUW members and all farmers across the UK as it is the landowners responsibility to cut down dying / dangerous trees which are on a public highway, and therefore pose a risk to the public. This also includes public footpaths.

The council, under the 1980's Highway Act, can serve a 154 notice which gives the landowner a 1 month window to do the work. If this occurs, it is advised to respond immediately, even if it is not possible to get the work done within the month. It must be taken into account that contractors are expected to be very busy with ash dieback work, and have limited availability. If they do not hear back from the landowner, the Council has the right to have the work carried out and send the invoice.

They are considered dangerous to climb if above a class three (>50% leaf loss). In this situation a Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP) is recommended. It is important to emphasise that ash dieback can be very dangerous work. It is preferable to cut and trim the tree before it gets to a Class 3 danger level.

Despite the increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases in Wales, Iechyd Da is emphasising to its clients their continual commitment to carry on delivering the veterinary services provided to the farming community.

To this end, they have reminded their vet practices of the importance of keeping the farming community and themselves safe by taking all the relevant precautions when on farm. They are therefore respectfully requesting that their farming clients also take all necessary measures and maintain 2 metre social distancing during visits where practically possible. Normally their vets would welcome any offer of refreshments but under current circumstances, please do not be offended if they have to decline.

The Soil Association has prepared a page of guidance in advance of significant changes for organic farmers, growers, manufacturers and traders who export to the EU from 1st January.

Exporting to the EU and NI from 1st January 2021

It is looking likely that the acceptance of organic products from GB into the EU will be based on the individual approval of UK certifiers under the European Commission regulation EC1235/2008 - which all UK certifiers currently have.

All operators along the UK supply chain will need to be issued certification by a certifier who currently holds the approval for the relevant product. Soil Association certification approval is valid until the end of 2023.

The UK will be expected to work to the current EU organic regulation EC834/2007 for a minimum of three years from 1st January 2021, despite the fact that the EU is moving to a new organic regulation in 2022.

Register to trade with the EU

The FUW has held a number of virtual seminars and webinars during 2020 due to the pandemic, including the All Wales Mental Health Conference and Land Use, Conservation & Cultural Clearances webinar.

Members can re-watch these recordings on the FUW website.

For a step-by-step guide to logging into the Member’s website to access these webinars, please click here.