Over three quarters of the Welsh countryside has some environmental or conservation designation, highlighting the important role farming continues to play in maintaining our natural resources.

Showcasing exactly how food production and environmental conservation go hand in hand were Farmers’ Union of Wales Merioneth tenant farmers Geraint and Rachael Davies, who are the third generation of farmers to tend the land at Fedw Arian Uchaf, Rhyduchaf, Y Bala.

Given the vast task at hand, not least in terms of negotiations and drafting and scrutinising legislation, this is a welcome step towards the more realistic timescale and transition advocated by the FUW since June 2016. Of course, such a transition period still needs to be agreed by the EU, and the FUW maintains that the UK should remain within the Common Market and Customs Union at the end of any such transition period.

The escalating problems caused by livestock worrying have been highlighted by the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) at an All Party Group on Animal Welfare (APGAW) in London.

Alongside the FUW, the APGAW heard from landowners, local government, police and dog charities on what has been done to tackle and prevent dog attacks on livestock, with a view to establishing best practise as a way to reduce the number of attacks.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales is once again looking to recognise an individual who has made a great contribution towards the development of the dairy industry and has become an integral part of the dairy industry in Wales.

To recognise such outstanding services the Union is seeking nominations for its FUW-HSBC Outstanding Service to the Welsh Dairy Industry award.

The winner will be announced, and the presentation made, at this year’s Welsh Dairy Show in Carmarthen on Tuesday, October 24.

Farmers from across Wales have expressed major concerns regarding the proposals made in the Welsh Government's "Taking Forward Wales’ Sustainable Management of Natural Resources" consultation, and the fact that such a large number of far-reaching proposals had been made in a single document without prior consultation or warning.

Attending the Farmers’ Union of Wales Grand Council, delegates questioned the reasoning behind the document and in order to properly ascertain the circumstances and reasoning which have led to such an unprecedented situation, Council Members proposed, and agreed unanimously, that a Freedom of Information request should be submitted requesting copies of all Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales correspondence relating to the consultation document, the proposals contained therein, the decision to incorporate these within a single document and the timing of the consultation.

The Labour party’s support for keeping the UK in the single market and customs union for a transitional period after leaving the EU has been welcomed by the Farmers’ Union of Wales.

Speaking at the Union’s September Council, FUW President Glyn Roberts said Labour were the latest of many bodies to support the Union’s longstanding view on the need for a safe Brexit transition period.