A Pembrokeshire dairy farmer has been appointed to head-up the Farmers’ Union of Wales Milk and Dairy Produce committee at a recent meeting in Aberystwyth.

Dai Miles,together with his wife Sharron, took on the tenancy of Barnsley Farm, Crowhill, Haverfordwest in 1997. At the time farm stretched to 143 acres and was a stock/arable unit which the couple converted into an organic dairy unit starting with 33 cows and leased milk quota.

In 2001 they took on a further 90 acres of pasture land and then in 2005 the neighbouring farm within the same estate. Currently they have 100 cows and 65 followers farming approx. 300 plus acres.

The couple are currently planning to relocate the dairy unit to a new site with modern facilities onto to a farm adjoining Barnsley, which is in the process of being purchased.

The evidence supporting the need for the UK to remain in the single market and customs union after Brexit is now incontrovertible says the Farmers’ Union of Wales, which has called for common sense to prevail.

“Continuing membership of these two institutions is the only way to avoid the dire collapse in incomes predicted in the latest AHDB report and in the FAPRI report in August,” said FUW President Glyn Roberts.

“Talks with the EU about some kind of alternative arrangement have not even begun, yet we only have around seventeen months before we leave the EU.”

The latest Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) ‘Horizon’ publication released last week reported the results of detailed modelling of different Brexit scenarios.

Farmers in Wales are being reminded that the Expression of Interest (EOI) window for Glastir Advanced 2019, will close at midnight on 20 October 2017.

Glastir Advanced is the flagship component of Glastir, through which the Welsh Government offers financial support to farmers and landowners to improve the environmental management of their land.

Concerns regarding the Welsh Government’s ‘Taking Forward Wales Sustainable Management of Natural Resources’ consultation were the focus of recent discussions between Farmers’ Union of Wales County Executive Officer Gwynedd Watkin and Arfon AM Sian Gwenllian, who is also a member of the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee.

by Huw Jones, FUW Meirionnydd county executive officer

I was thrilled and honoured to be part of the official re-opening of Yr Ysgwrn at the beginning of September, and also to have the chance of chatting for a while with Gerald Williams (Hedd Wyn’s nephew).
For some time now, the new look farmhouse and the outbuildings in Trawsfynydd has been open to the public following recovery of the site through careful conservation and development. 

On World Mental Health day, farmers across Wales are being reminded that ‘it’s ok to say’ and the Farmers’ Union of Wales is urging them not to hide problems from themselves, their families and friends and to talk about their personal feelings.