The Farmers’ Union of Wales has told Prime Minister Theresa May that while the EU Withdrawal deal would give Welsh farmers welcome breathing space, assurances were needed that Welsh agriculture would not lose out under a final deal after 2020.

Speaking after a special meeting with Mrs May at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair on Tuesday (27 November), FUW President Glyn Roberts said:

“The Withdrawal agreement agreed by the Cabinet and the EU contains almost 600 pages of details regarding what would happen during a 21 month period, and those pages contain many important assurances for agriculture and other industries.

“By comparison, the political declaration which is part of the same package and concerns what might happen in the subsequent decades is just 36 pages long, and far more ambiguous in terms of the implications for agriculture and other industries.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has welcomed today’s (Monday, November 26) announcement by Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths that over 85% of farmers’ BPS 2018 claims will be made on the first day of the payment window (Monday, December 3 ), meaning that over £181m will be paid into the bank accounts of over 13,200 Welsh farm businesses. This includes nearly 1,000 farmers who applied for the BPS loan scheme but will now get their BPS on day one.

A successful charity quiz night, organised by the Farmers’ Union of Wales Glamorgan branch, has raised over £450 for the Union’s charitable causes Alzheimer’s Society Cymru and the Farming Community Network (FCN).

The event was held on Friday 2 November at Heol Y Cyw Rugby Club, where local farmers and friends of the FUW tested their general knowledge. 

FUW Glamorgan CEO Rachel Saunders said: “We had a great night, and I would like to thank all of you for joining us and making it such a success.

“A special thank you of course must go to our Quiz Master Lorraine Howells who kept an eye out for any cheating or foul play and Christine Anstee who prepared both the quiz questions and the buffet food.

“We had the best turn out we’ve ever had and so far have raised £453 but donations are still coming into the office. A big thank you also to all the people that donated money or raffle prizes.”

The Farmers’ Union of Wales is urging farmers to get to grips with the ‘Making tax digital’ scheme, which will come into forces in April next year and see millions of businesses and self-employed people having to file multiple tax returns each year.

In order to help those VAT-registered businesses with a taxable turnover above the VAT threshold, the Denbigh and Flint branch of the Union has organised a special information evening with Wittingham Riddell accountants.  

The events, which start at 7.30pm, are held on Wednesday, 5 December at Denbigh Golf Club,  Henllan Road, Denbigh LL16 5AA and Monday, 10 December at Lord Moreton, Chirk, St Martin's, Wrexham LL14 5DG.

FUW Denbigh and Flint CEO Mari Dafydd Jones said: “There are many farm businesses who from April next year will be required to use the Making Tax Digital service to keep records digitally and use software to submit their VAT returns. Businesses will no longer be able to submit paper tax returns.

“To help them better understand what is required of them and what tools are available to comply with the new way of submitting your tax return, we have teamed up with the accountants at Wittingham Riddell, who will explain how ‘Making Tax Digital’ will affect you, what benefits ‘Cloud Packages’ offer and they will also give a live demonstration of Xero and QuickBooks. These information evenings are free and open to all - so please don’t miss your chance to get to grips with the new requirements.”

The Farmers’ Union of Wales is looking forward to a busy Royal Welsh Winter Fair (Monday 26 - Tuesday 27 November) with plenty of #FarmingMatters chats and a warm welcome to the Union’s stand guaranteed.

Those visiting the FUW stand, which is located next to the main show ring, can enter the annual Christmas hamper competition by filling in a short quarantine unit survey, and staff are on hand to discuss the Union’s response to the Welsh Government ‘Brexit and our Land’ consultation response.

FUW officials will also be on hand to chat about the recently launched FUW-NFU Cymru joint principles paper ‘A Welsh way forward’, aimed at placing Welsh food, farming, livelihoods, communities and our environment on a firm post-Brexit footing.

Speaking ahead of the event, FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “Time has flown by and I can hardly believe that the Winter Fair is just around the corner again.

“This fantastic event should help get everyone in the festive spirit and I look forward to catching up with many of you at the FUW stand over a cup of tea and mince pie.

“Our staff and officials are on hand to discuss any questions you may have about #FarmingMatters, including Bovine TB rules, the recently launched industry sheep scab paper, diversification and quarantine units and a warm welcome is guaranteed to all.”

The Farmers’ Union of Wales is urging shoppers to keep their Christmas shopping local to show support for rural and local businesses.

FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “As we speed towards Christmas, I would like to urge you to think about your rural businesses and see if you can buy local, either for the upcoming Christmas dinner or even gifts for family and friends.

“Speak to your local butcher about meat for the Christmas period and see what your local farm shop has to offer - I promise you will find many of the ingredients you need for your Christmas dinner right on your doorstep.

“There are also plenty of small shops around that offer Welsh craft and locally designed gifts and of course the choice for local food gifts is aplenty. It really is worth having a look. These are small decisions we can make that will have a big impact on our rural economy.

“A pound spent locally will go much further than a pound spent in a chain store and it keeps our rural economies going. By supporting our local businesses we don’t help a CEO buy a third holiday home but we help a local mum and dad put food on the table, a family pay their mortgage, a little girl get those dance lessons and a little boy get his favourite team shirt.”