The Farmers’ Union of Wales has today welcomed the establishment of a new Dairy All-Party Parliamentary Group.

The group, which held its first meeting at the House of Commons today, aims to undertake a range of activities relating to those issues affecting the UK dairy sector and will be chaired by Tiverton and Honiton MP, Neil Parish.

FUW milk and dairy produce chairman Dei Davies said: “The UK dairy sector has faced some tough challenges in recent years. Recent market-place instability and political unrest have further served to depress milk prices and the latest round of milk price cuts announced by several processors has undermined the confidence of the industry.

“Given that an all-party group for Beef and Lamb was established in 2012, the establishment of a dedicated forum that ensures Parliamentarians are fully briefed on the latest developments in the dairy sector is welcome news.

“The group is set to undertake an inquiry into the sustainable competitiveness of the UK dairy sector this year and the union will work to ensure that those issues specific to Wales are recognised and considered by the group,” added Mr Davies.

Farmers are being urged to note the deadline for Glastir applications for those wishing to apply for Glastir starting January 2015.

“Letters are being sent to all those who requested a Glastir Entry 2015 application pack highlighting the closing date of September 30 2014, and so if you are yet to return your application form you only have a few weeks to do so,” said Farmers’ Union of Wales deputy director of agricultural policy, Rhian Nowell-Phillips.

“If you have already submitted your application, and received a receipt, your application will be processed and all contract offers will need to be signed and returned to Welsh Government by no later than December 31 2014,” added Ms Nowell-Phillips.

If you have any queries regarding your letter or the application pack, please contact your local FUW office,  Welsh Government customer contact centre using your RPW online account or phone 0300 062 5004.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has described as ‘shoddy’ failings by the Daily Mail which led the newspaper to make inaccurate claims about the dairy industry which its sister newspaper, the Mail on Sunday had already been forced to apologise about.

In an article published in the Daily Mail on August 30 entitled ‘So that’s why you’re dog tired’ Dr Sohère Roked claimed cows are injected with hormones to keep them producing milk all year round and that hormones and antibiotics are present in milk – claims which the Mail on Sunday was forced to apologise for having made in 2005 after the FUW complained directly to the paper and to the Press Complaint Commission.

Dei Davies, chairman of the union’s milk and dairy produce committee said: “Back in June 2005, an article published in the Mail on Sunday, entitled ‘Time to wean yourself off milk?’ incensed the FUW as it stated that most farmers gave their cattle growth hormones. The article also stated that most milk contains antibiotic.

“Given that the administration of growth hormones is illegal in the UK and that strict guidelines and testing ensure that no antibiotic residues are present in UK retail milk the FUW believed that an apology and correction was well warranted,” added Mr Davies.

The FUW wrote to the Press Complaints Commission in 2005 regarding the issue and, as a result, received an apology from the Mail on Sunday.

“It is incredibly disappointing that we are here again, some nine years later after the union received an apology from the Mail on Sunday over very similar issues.

“Lessons clearly have not been learned and the union once again finds itself defending the dairy industry against ill-researched and uneducated articles.  UK milk is produced to high welfare standards and is a good, healthy, quality product.

“We will be seeking a published apology and correction from the Daily Mail and assurances that these type of articles will not appear in future.  The publication of such potentially damaging articles must be stopped,” added Mr Davies.

A former chairman of the Farmers' Union of Wales milk and dairy produce committee has expressed frustration at the significant cuts in the price farmers are to be paid for their milk.

Yesterday, First Milk announced a drop in the price it will pay for both liquid and manufacturing pools by three pence per liter (ppl) - taking effect from October 1. This reduction brings the liquid pool down to just 25.1 ppl and the manufacturing pool to 26.1 ppl.

Dairy Crest also recently announced a price reduction of 1.1ppl to farmers on standard Liquid and Davidstow contracts from September 1.

"We are frustrated that milk prices are once again plummeting just as the industry is beginning to gain the confidence it needed to invest in a better future," said former FUW milk and dairy produce committee chairman Eifion Huws who runs a dairy farm at Bodedern on Anglesey.

"These price cuts are unsustainable and will have a serious impact on members cash flow.

“The volatility in the global dairy market is well documented and the Russian trade embargo will no doubt exacerbate the continuing fall in global and European dairy markets.

“Russia imports less than one percent of the UK’s cheese, butter and skimmed milk powder, however the loss of trade for bigger exporters such as Germany and the Netherlands could cause downward pressure on prices through an increase in available supply,” added Mr Huws.

In response to the Russian trade sanctions, the European Commission has taken action to minimise the negative impacts of the ban. The Commission has opened private storage aid for butter, skimmed milk powder and certain cheeses to cover the costs of storing these products for the next three to seven months.

“The FUW has consistently reiterated that the loss of quotas in 2015 will only compound an already volatile market place and the recent steps undertaken by the EU to try and counter the increase in available stocks following the Russian dairy ban further serve to highlight our position on this matter,” added Mr Huws.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales Anglesey branch held a pie and a pint evening reception at this year’s Anglesey County Show to open up discussions about the possibility of opening a mini abattoir on the Island.

“The reception was well attended including  Anglesey leader of the council Ieuan Williams, AM Rhun Ap Iorwerth, MP Albert Owen, local butcher Karl Jones and Gerallt Jones of Menter Môn and was sponsored by Cwrw Llyn, Purple Moose and Butchers Poveys of Chwilog, J T Thomas Llangefni and Karl Jones of Valley Butchers,” FUW Anglesey county executive officer Heidi Williams.

A feasibility study had been compiled by farmers and members of the AGAP group, concluded that an abattoir handling 30 livestock units-a-week could break even, or make a small profit, but start-up costs would be daunting.

However Anglesey farmer Iolo Owen has now offered three acres for a potential site and grants may be available to support the venture.

“It is great news that Karl Jones of Valley Butchers would consider investing if everything fell into place.  He has built the reputation of his business on the quality of local produce and sources his produce locally to sell to local people, and by doing so cutting food miles. But since the abattoir in Gaerwen closed, he has been forced to haul stock all the way to Wrexham, then all the way back.

“A small multi-species facility would not depend on large single contracts and as well as retail, it would supply the wholesale and catering sectors, and allow for private kills too.

“This initiative could help fill the gap left by the closure of Gaerwen and a smaller operation would be of huge benefit to farmers on the island. We would like to also thank Sion Aron Jones from Hybu Cig Cymru who gave a presentation on the evening on the outlook of Welsh meat and added that the body would be happy to support any venture that added value to Welsh Meat,” added Mrs Williams.

Whilst welcoming the Welsh governments draft strategy for dealing with fly tipped waste, the Farmers’ Union of Wales remains concerned that fly-tipping continues to be a significant problem to private landowners, particularly in rural areas abutting the urban fringe.

“Fly-tipping has health, visual and financial implications for land owners and the wider local economy. We need a well-resourced strategy, that incorporates industry bodies and government to tackle the problem,” said FUW land use and parliamentary committee chairman Gavin Williams.

“Recent moves by local authorities to either close local Civic Amenity Sites or introduce charges for domestic waste, will inevitably impact on the prevalence of fly-tipping in the future and could undermine any strategic actions Welsh government seeks to put in place.

“The Welsh government draft strategy contains few actions which address the costs and bureaucracy laid on private landowners when dealing with the removal and disposal of fly-tipped material and until there is a concerted effort to facilitate the disposal of this waste the industry will see no positive advantages in reporting fly-tipped waste,” added Mr Williams.

In its response to the recent Welsh government consultation, the FUW’s land use and parliamentary committee chairman said that the union broadly supports the vision set out in the paper and believes that there has been considerable progress in understanding the issues since the last consultation and some welcome progress in co-working amongst public and private sectors.

“It is important however to ensure that the momentum that has been created over recent years is maintained so that cost saving exercises by the public sector does not end up stalling the work undertaken to date,” added Mr Williams.

The FUW also believes that more could be done to raise awareness and educate the wider public on their responsibilities to ensure that their waste is disposed of legally. This provision of advice and information needs to encompass both the legal aspects of waste disposal but also the provision of advice and guidance on the local facilities available for the various waste streams.