The Farmers' Union of Wales today expressed disappointment at Assembly Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones' decision not to set up a new Agricultural Wages Board (AWB) and committees for Wales.

The union recently contributed to the Minister's request for views on the implications to Wales of Defra's proposals to abolish the current AWB for England and Wales and its committees.

"We are extremely disappointed by her response because the FUW has always supported the AWB and remains concerned that unless there are systems in place to protect payments to agricultural workers, the industry will not attract the highly skilled technicians it needs to thrive," said the union's deputy director of agricultural policy Rhian Nowell-Phillips.

In representations to the Minister the Union highlighted its policy that it still considered the AWB to be the most effective body to determine the pay and conditions of service which reflect the unique requirements of the agricultural industry in Wales.

"As many farms in Wales run with relatively few staff, the AWB is considered an important means of avoiding potential conflict and lengthy negotiations with individual staff," Miss Nowell-Phillips stated.

The FUW strongly believes the AWB's role in setting minimum rates of pay can reflect the need for agricultural workers to be flexible in their working arrangements to cover busy periods, fine weather, and unsocial hours, which are not covered by general employment law provision.

"The Union maintains that the future of the agricultural industry is dependent on attracting highly trained technicians into the industry," Miss Nowell-Phillips added.

"The economic climate within the agricultural industry has made it a less attractive option for young people and, therefore, in the Union's view, rewarding skills, qualifications, and levels of responsibility, is a vital means of persuading high calibre people to remain in or enter the industry.

"Reliance on a single national minimum wage will inevitably result in an erosion of talent and skills from farming as more lucrative and physically less challenging professions are taken up.

"The Union believes that there needs to be arrangements put in place, to deal with enhanced terms and conditions which reflect the dedication of agricultural workers."

But in a reply to the FUW the Minister stated that in reaching her decision she had considered the additional financial costs of establishing a new AWB and committees for Wales.

"Given the ongoing budgetary pressures facing the Welsh Assembly Government, the additional not insignificant costs could simply not be justified," she added.

Commenting on the Minister's response, Miss Nowell-Phillips said: "Whilst it is a disappointing decision we will be looking for some sort of system to be established so that the principles of the AWB are continued."

In a warm personal tribute following the death at 75 of Lord Livsey, Farmers' Union of Wales president Gareth Vaughan today described the Liberal Democrat peer as a "good friend" to agriculture in the House of Lords.

"When we had an issue it was very easy to pick up the phone to Lord Livsey," said Mr Vaughan. "It is so important for us to have people in authority who understand the ways of the countryside.

"That is not the case in many quarters, but that certainly couldn't be said of Lord Livsey, who was well versed in the ways of the agricultural industry.

"Apart from that, he was a very, very popular man and politician, and not just with his own party but across the political spectrum."

Following the death of fellow party stalwart, FUW life member Lord Geraint of Ponterwyd, Lord Livsey took over the hosting of the union's annual "Farmhouse Breakfast Week" function in the Lords and three years ago he received the FUW-Barclays Bank plc award for outstanding service to Welsh agriculture.

It was Richard Livsey's contribution to Welsh agriculture at the former Welsh Agricultural College (WAC) in Aberystwyth which caught the attention of the FUW.

Mr Vaughan said that when Mr Livsey was appointed senior lecturer in farm management and then farm manager at WAC during 1971, there were only 30 or so students at the college studying OND/HND, housed in temporary buildings.

"But when he left the college in 1985, after being elected MP for Brecon and Radnor, there were approximately 300 students there."

The Welsh Assembly Government's head of CAP reform David Morris will be the main speaker at a meeting about the Glastir agri-environment scheme, organised by the Farmers' Union of Wales Meironnydd county branch, to be held at Rhydymain Village Hall, near Dolgellau, on Wednesday evening September 22 at 8pm.

Mr Morris has taken a leading role in introducing the scheme throughout Wales and the meeting will be an opportunity for farmers to finally decide if they wish to enter the scheme this year. Application forms will be sent out early next month to those who have expressed an interest and the closing date for them to be returned is November 22.

Further details about the meeting can be obtained by contacting Meirionnydd FUW County Office at Dolgellau 01341 422298.

South Wales farmers were today warned to be on the alert for three men from the Cardiff area with a pellet gun who claimed to be rabitting when the white transit van they were travelling in was spotted parked on two separate farms in the Neath area recently.

Police inspected the inside of the van - CV05 YPK - at Llwynllanc Farm, Crynant, and nothing was found but it was seen again five days later parked on a neighbouring farm.

"We are anxious to highlight this incident because there have been a lot of farm quad bikes stolen in that area recently," said Farmers' Union of Wales Glamorgan county executive officer Adrian Evans.

"The police are warning farmers that this could be just another scam by giving criminals a degree of legitimacy for being on farmers' land and having a good look around the buildings."

Police also revealed that a notable arrest was made in Aberdulais recently when two Merthyr men were apprehended for going equipped to steal. They were also using a transit van which contained empty diesel drums and siphoning equipment.

On the weekend the white transit van was seen for the second time two more criminal incidents occurred on farms near Neath. A stolen tractor was left crashed into a tree at Gellyfowy Fawr, Ynysmeudwy, Pontardawe, and a steel gate was stolen from Brynchwyth, Tonna.

"If farmers see the white van on their land or any other suspicious vehicles or intruders they should report the sighting to the police via the telephone number 101," Mr Evans added.

Meanwhile, an interesting project to help cut down on rural crime in Carmarthenshire was outlined at a meeting of the FUW's county executive meeting when Dyfed Powys Police crime reduction coordinator Brian Jones gave details of a pilot scheme being launched in the county.

The Online Watch Link (OWL) is a two-way initiative that would allow the police to pass relevant messages to the community and encourage the community to respond to the messages. The message could be of a crime prevention nature or to let the recipient know of a notable incident.

OWL is free and the message could be received via the home phone, a mobile phone, text message or, alternatively, via e-mail to the home or place of work.

For further details contact Brian Jones at Ammanford police station - Tel: 101/ext 27465, E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call FUW county executive officer Meinir Bartlett - Tel: 01267 237974.

A Welsh farmers' leader today called on the EC to release supplies from its intervention stock of cereals in a bid to combat soaring prices on the European market.

"There are growing fears that Welsh livestock farmers' incomes will be seriously undermined by increasing costs of animal feed due to the strong demand for grain on the world market which is driving up prices," said Farmers' Union of Wales president Gareth Vaughan.

"I am well aware that over the past month or so the price some Welsh farmers have paid for animal feed has increased by around £25 a tonne," said the Newtown sheep farmer.

The world market situation is currently dominated by the Russian export ban and Ukrainian moves to curtail grain exports following devastating droughts in both countries this summer.

"Although we have an increasing number of farmers growing cereal crops, traditional Welsh farming is still very much dominated by livestock rearing and the industry is at the mercy of ever-increasing production costs," said Mr Vaughan.

"Unfortunately, the EC is reported to have concluded that there is 'not an urgent need to release stocks from intervention'.

"But consideration of releasing such stocks, to keep grain prices in check, has continued to gather apace within the European feed industry and some member states, particularly net grain importer Spain.

"I believe the UK government should also be demanding similar action to safeguard the immediate prospects of Welsh agriculture," Mr Vaughan added.

Earlier this month the European Feed Manufacturers' Association, FEFAC, called on the Commission to release some of the five million tonnes of intervention cereals (mostly barley) which the EU currently holds.

"Placing such stocks back on the EU market is essential to help combat undue speculation and price volatility," the group said, warning that a degree of "artificial" price inflation is occurring in addition to the impact of poor harvests in key supplier countries.

The Farmers' Union of Wales welcomed Defra's proposed additional measures to help control bovine TB in cattle and pledged to consult its members on today's announcement by Agriculture Minister Jim Paice.

"With Wales's long border with England there are obvious implications for our members in those areas and we will be consulting with them in order to make a full response to the Defra consultation," said the union's bTB spokesman Brian Walters.

Defra is proposing issuing licences to farmers and landowners who wish to cull and/or vaccinate badgers at their own expense.

These licences would be subject to strict licence criteria to ensure badger control is done effectively, humanely and with high regard for animal welfare.

Defra says culling will only be allowed in areas where there is a high incidence of bovine TB in cattle and following the consultation they intend to publish a comprehensive and balanced bovine TB eradication programme early in 2011.

Meanwhile in Wales the Assembly's Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones remains committed to eradicating bovine TB through a "comprehensive programme" despite a legal set-back earlier this summer on a proposed badger cull in south-west Wales.

She intends to make a statement to AMs on the matter shortly.

Mr Walters added: With the cost to the taxpayer expected to reach more than £30m this year, bTB remains a major concern for the Welsh Assembly Government and one of the most serious economic issues facing the Welsh farming industry.

"And for those forced to watch their businesses being closed down and their animals removed for slaughter, the emotional cost is one that cannot be assigned a monetary value."