As the closed period for spreading slurry on most Welsh farms kicks in (15 October), Huw Irranca-Davies, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, has announced plans to make short-term amendments to the Cross Compliance Verifiable Standards related to the Control of Agricultural Pollution ‘NVZ’ regulations.

Speaking in response to the announcement, FUW President Ian Rickman said: “Over recent months, we have made it abundantly clear to the Cabinet Secretary that challenges were clearly on the horizon for Welsh farmers who cannot comply with these regulations due to matters outside of their control, and many now find themselves in this impossible situation. At the time, we requested an urgent update on this matter and for exemptions to be clearly outlined within the Cross Compliance documentation.

“The FUW therefore welcomes the announcement by the Cabinet Secretary as it offers a lifeline for the 800 or so farming businesses that have applied for infrastructure grant support, and the plethora of others that continue to face other challenges, such as delays in planning applications and the availability of building contractors.”

The statement says: ‘if any farmers are concerned they will not have the required capacity to safely store their slurry during the closed period and have taken all available actions to prevent the need to spread when it is inappropriate to do so, including during the closed periods, they should contact NRW to identify appropriate mitigating actions to minimise the risk of pollution…’

The Welsh Government intends to publish revised Cross Compliance Verifiable Standards by the end of the month. This will include more proportionate penalties where full assessments of records can be made and where technical non-compliances do not present a pollution risk, and penalties will be reduced for those who have undertaken reasonable steps to meet the new storage requirements but which are not currently compliant up until 1 August 2025.

“We have heard of many farmers receiving penalties over recent months due to errors within an overly-complex spreadsheet that do not necessarily present a pollution risk in the real world. We therefore welcome the fact that breaches applied since 2021 will be reviewed based on the amended standards.

“This announcement will certainly ease the stress and mental health pressure on a number of Welsh farmers over the coming months, and the Union is committed to working with both the Welsh Government and Dr Susannah Bolton on reviewing these regulations for the greater good of the industry and the quality of our waters in Wales“, concluded Ian Rickman.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has welcomed an announcement from the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, that the Bovine TB Eradication Programme Board members have now been appointed.

This news completes the revised governance structure as outlined in the Wales TB Eradication Programme Delivery Plan 2023-2028, following the formation of the Bovine TB Technical Advisory Group earlier this year.

FUW Deputy President and dairy farmer, Dai Miles said: “The FUW welcomes the opportunity to have a seat at the table, alongside a team with a wealth of knowledge and practical experience in this field, to tackle the myriad of issues facing Welsh family farms in eradicating bovine TB.”

The establishment of the Programme Board was announced earlier this summer at Anglesey Agricultural Show, with the Cabinet Secretary confirming the members of the Board whilst addressing the fourth annual AberTB conference held on the 18th of September, at Aberystwyth University.

“As a Union, we are keen to play our part on the Eradication Programme Board and work closely with the Technical Advisory Group in reviewing important matters relevant to bovine TB eradication.” added Mr Miles.

Eradicating bovine TB is a massively complex and emotive subject, where farmgate frustrations towards ineffective policies fueled the farming sectors’ protests during the spring of 2024. One of the first tasks of the Programme Board will be to consider the analysis of the bovine TB 6-year milestone target review and policy relating to the management of Inconclusive Reactor test results.

Cattle keepers continue to be shackled by this on-going disease with no inroads being made in achieving the Welsh Government's goal of bovine TB freedom by 2041 despite huge sacrifices being imposed on farming businesses.

FUW data analysis of GB Bovine TB statistics clearly evidence very little movement in the percentage of herds in Wales that are ‘Not Officially TB Free’. Over the last six years, there has been a mere 0.09% reduction in the number of ‘Not Officially TB Free’ herds in Wales, setting a dismal trajectory for achieving TB freedom.

The Deputy President concluded: “As an industry, we can not continue with the status quo. We must grasp this opportunity to work collaboratively as an industry to influence and direct change, not only for the present health and wellbeing of our cattle and farmers, but also for our future generations.”

Do you know a person who’s contributed to the dairy industry and deserves an award? Have you made contact with an individual who’s gone above and beyond her/his duty within the dairy sector? Has someone impressed you with their achievements within the dairy farming, milk, cheese or butter sector? If so, here is a great opportunity!

The Farmers’ Union of Wales is keen to recognise an individual who’s made a great contribution towards the development of the dairy sector and become an integral part of the industry in Wales. The winner will be announced and presented with the award at the Welsh Dairy Show event at the United Counties Showground in Nantyci, Carmarthen on Tuesday 22 October, 2024.

FUW Carmarthenshire County Executive Officer David Waters said: “Looking back we have had some very worthy nominations and winners, with the calibre of past achievers ranking highly within the industry. 

“If you know a person in Wales who has made a great contribution towards the development of the dairy industry and has become an integral part, then why not nominate them for this prestigious award?”

To nominate an individual, send a letter or citation giving full details of the work and achievements of the nominee and email the nomination to the Farmers’ Union of Wales Carmarthen office at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by post to FUW Carmarthen, Suite 10, Ty Myrddin, Old Station Road, Carmarthen, SA31 1LS by Friday 4 of October 2024.

“We’re keen to receive input from across Wales, from individuals and different communities who feel that someone is deserving of this award. We’re looking forward to receiving the nominations and listening to the public’s views,” concluded David Waters.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has fully endorsed the recommendation made by the Commission for Welsh speaking Communities on agricultural policy in its report on ‘Empowering communities, strengthening the Welsh language’ that was published at Rhondda Cynon Taf’s National Eisteddfod.

Following input from the FUW during its development, the report recommends that: ‘the Welsh Government should ensure that the Welsh language is a central consideration in agricultural policy. There should be support for the family farm, and the principle of the importance of the family farm should be reflected in other policies such as environmental policy.’

FUW President Ian Rickman said: “The Farmers Union of Wales’ vision is to have a community of thriving, sustainable, family farms in Wales. These family farms, living and working within their communities, are the backbone of Wales’ rural areas and economy.”

County agricultural shows and social organisations and charities such as Wales’ Young Farmers Clubs and Urdd Gobaith Cymru’s adrannau and aelwydydd clubs underpin the sustainability of the Welsh language, heritage and culture.

“As the report’s authors, commissioned by the Welsh Government, describe 43.1%* of the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries’ workforce speak Welsh, the highest proportion of Welsh speakers in all sectors of economic activity in Wales.

“The Commission's recommendation aligns categorically with our belief that the Welsh language should be a central consideration in the development of agricultural and environmental policy, particularly in the makeup of a ‘social value’ payment through the proposed Sustainable Farming Scheme.

“Any proposals for future policy which compromise Welsh farm businesses, farming communities or Welsh agriculture in general would represent a significant threat to the industry within which the greatest percentage of Welsh speakers is preserved,” Ian Rickman concluded. 

* Census 2021 data