[caption id="attachment_8073" align="alignleft" width="300"] FUW representatives joined a group of school children from London at Lower Treginnis farm, St David’s, Pembrokeshire to see for themselves how much the children enjoy being out on farm and what the project has to offer.[/caption]

How many children across the UK have the chance to live on a working farm for a week, learning in the great outdoors and enjoying the beautiful countryside?

For some children that is a daily privilege but not necessarily for children from inner cities. So, children’s author Michael Morpurgo and his wife Clare founded Farms for City Children (FFCC) at Nethercott House in Devon in 1976 to offer urban children from all over the country a unique opportunity to live and work together for a week at a time on a real farm in the heart of the countryside.

In 1986, FFCC acquired Lower Treginnis in Pembrokeshire on a long lease from the National Trust. After a highly successful fundraising campaign, the buildings were converted and re-structured by FFCC and in May 1989 Lower Treginnis opened for its first schools. The project won many awards for its sensitive restoration of the original farm buildings to provide a purpose-built, child-oriented space.

In 1993, a further property was secured on a 99 year lease – Wick Court in Gloucestershire, and across the 3 farms the charity now welcomes over 3000 pupils and 400 teachers every year.

To see for themselves how much the children enjoy being out on farm and what the project has to offer, representatives from the Farmers’ Union of Wales joined a group of school children from London at Lower Treginnis farm, St David’s, Pembrokeshire.

[caption id="attachment_8074" align="alignright" width="300"] FUW Education and Training Committee Chairman Alun Edwards enjoyed meeting the children at Lower Treginnis.[/caption]

The farmstead dates back to 1284, and is the most westerly farm in Wales. Here Farms for City Children works in partnership with organic farmer and FUW members Rob and Eleri Davies, who keep around 900 sheep.

The award-winning buildings were converted and re-structured by FFCC to provide for up to 40 children and their teachers. Here the children help look after poultry, horses, donkeys, milking goats and a breeding herd of pigs. The farm now welcomes over 1000 pupils every year and is booked up for 32 weeks a year.

In charge of running the project in Pembrokeshire is School Farm Manager Dan Jones, who in 2009 started his teaching career in Swansea. He wanted what most teachers want - to help each child achieve their personal best, help them excel and feel fantastic about themselves. Disillusioned with the education system Dan decided to quit general education just 5 years later.

He explains: “The current education system makes it increasingly difficult for teachers to inspire children to learn. There is a huge workload teachers have to deal with, statistics and data inputting are a priority and that can have a real negative impact on teachers but also the children. It was more about reaching targets and getting my performance related pay and the children were no longer seen as children but as a level.

[caption id="attachment_8075" align="alignleft" width="300"] School Farm Manager Dan Jones loves that the Pembrokeshire coast is now his classroom and the sheep, pigs, horses, goats and vegetables are his resources.[/caption]

“So I quit and moved to the most westerly part of Wales - Lower Treginnis farm. The Pembrokeshire coast is now my classroom and the sheep, pigs, horses, goats and vegetables are my resources.”

The farm was not new to Dan. Every spring he would head west for a week of muck and magic with a group of year 6 pupils and fell in love with the place.

“I would beg to be one of the team who accompanied the children and when a few years later the manager’s position at Treginnis was advertised I knew this is what I wanted to do. I was eventually appointed and am now doing my dream job. My wife, a city slicker at heart, supported my decision and we both handed in our notices and left for Treginnis. To say I am thankful to her for supporting me is an understatement,” Dan said.

Every Friday a coach load of children, aged 9-11, are welcomed to the farm and for many this is their first time away from home. FFCC aims to encourage learning, to raise self-esteem, and to enrich young lives by providing a safe and welcoming setting where children and their teachers together get involved in the working life of a real farm with real farmers.

“Treginnis is not a petting zoo, and we ask them to do real farm work. They are up at the crack of dawn milking goats, feeding pigs and poultry or looking after newborn lambs. The children are completely unplugged from the virtual world and instead can enjoy a game of chess, play cards, read a book or a kick about on the playing field.

“Three times a day the children sit at the dining table with their peers and teachers and eat together. For some that is a new experience but one that they relish. In only a week, you can see a change in the children. They are more confident, have more self-esteem and a real understanding of hard work and perseverance. These experiences and memories stay with them right the way through into their adult lives.

[caption id="attachment_8076" align="alignright" width="300"] FUW Younger Voice for Farming Committee Vice-Chairman Anwen Hughes gives the kids a helping hand with feeding the lambs.[/caption]

“It is an intense, ‘learning through doing’ experience of a different life – for children who may not know where their food comes from and have limited opportunities to explore the outside world,” explains Dan.

Alun Edwards, the FUW’s Education and Training Committee Chairman who joined the farm visit, said: “This is a fantastic project that helps children understand farming, the countryside and food production and it was great to see how teamwork helps to develop them socially and emotionally.

“The children are immersed and completely involved in a way of life that is so very different to their normal week, helping them to learn also about healthy eating and using practical, hands-on learning outside the classroom really helps with enhancing the requirements of the national curriculum.

“For some of these children it is an opportunity of a lifetime and they may never experience anything like this again. Looking at how the project here celebrates success and building self-worth through work and the completion of tasks, experiences like these should be on the national curriculum.”

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has cautiously welcomed the commitment made to agriculture in the Queen’s speech today, saying that the devil will be in the detail.

Union officials are now looking forward to discussing the next steps and the way forward with ministers and contributing to the development of legislation, which is in line with the FUW’s manifesto demands.

With regards to the Great Repeal Bill, the FUW welcomed the commitment to maintain the scope of devolved decision-making powers immediately after exiting the EU.

FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “It was a key demand in our manifesto and the the FUW had called on the Government to fully assess the implications of repealing, amending or devolving legislation in light of developments such as trade negotiations. We also called on the Government to identify those changes, which can be made without compromising our ability to access EU and other markets.

“Where necessary due to time constraints, the Union argued that it was essential to transpose overarching EU legislative frameworks en bloc in a way which maintains balances of power between devolved administrations and the UK Government and Parliament, while committing to reviewing such frameworks post-Brexit.”

Mr Roberts further said that it is essential that the commitment to intensive discussion and consultation with the devolved administrations regarding common frameworks is genuine, since previously such commitments seemed to have merely paid lip-service to such engagement.

Talking about the Customs Bill and Trade Bill, the Union President said that while large elements of Customs and Trade Bills will be housekeeping exercises to ensure there is no legislative void on the day we leave the EU, it is essential that such legislation can properly accommodate our continued unfettered access to the affluent EU market which is on our doorstep.

In regards to the Agriculture Bill, Glyn Roberts said: “The FUW highlighted that the need for and form of such a bill has been the subject of many of our discussions with both UK and Welsh ministers in the past year.”

Key demands made by the FUW have included the need for a framework which respects current devolution and prevents unfair competition between devolved regions; protects adequate long term funding for agriculture; and respects devolved powers over agriculture and the need for a degree of flexibility which allows devolved governments to make decisions which are appropriate for their regions.

“Through our Manifesto we have also called for legislation which allows the evolution of current regimes rather than disruptive changes and we would therefore ask the Government to agree to a ten year transition period between the current and any future policies, which takes into account changes our major competitors will experience under the next EU CAP,” added Mr Roberts.

The FUW further calling on the UK government to closely monitor developments in those countries against which UK farmers are likely to compete - particularly in terms of reform of the CAP.

“It is absolutely critical that the government ensure that thorough analysis and modelling of all proposals is undertaken, before decisions are made, taking account of impacts on the upstream and downstream supply chains which rely on farm businesses, as well as farm businesses themselves,” said Mr Roberts.

[caption id="attachment_8065" align="alignleft" width="300"] FUW Bovine TB Spokesman Brian Walters[/caption]

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has welcomed the ‘Refreshed Bovine TB Programme’, launched by the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths, earlier today.

The refreshed approach includes additional measures, which will form part of the Welsh Government’s bovine TB eradication programme in Wales, such as the establishment of Low, Intermediate and High TB Areas in Wales from October 1 this year.
Responding to the announcement, FUW Bovine TB Spokesman Brian Walters, said: ‘‘As expected, the refreshed Welsh TB programme continues to focus almost entirely on cattle controls and the FUW has continued to reiterate members concerns regarding the implementation of measures such as regionalisation, without significant measures to tackle the disease in wildlife.

“However, whilst we recognise that many of our members will be frustrated by the new rules, many of the FUW’s key concerns have been allayed and the Union is pleased that the Welsh Government has listened to many of the issues outlined in our consultation response.”

The FUW strongly opposed the proposal to effectively add a further 60 days of movement restrictions for herds passing a clearing test, emphasising that this would increase the minimum time period that any herd was under restriction to at least six months.

The Welsh Government accepted Union concerns surrounding this issue and the proposals outlined today would allow the clearing test to continue to be used as a pre-movement test, except in chronic cases.

Other concerns highlighted by the FUW, relating to policies such as 6 monthly testing in the High Risk Areas, have also been accepted by Welsh Government and such policies are now only being used in a targeted approach to disease control.  The Union is pleased to note that the lifetime restriction of clear tested inconclusive reactors to the herd will not now be used.

The Union was also pleased to note a small positive step forward in tackling the wildlife reservoir of disease.

‘‘Successful TB eradication programmes in other countries have included a commitment to tackle the wildlife disease reservoir and the FUW therefore welcomes the proposal to begin targeted badger removal in herds with persistent TB breakdowns in the High TB area.

“However, whilst the FUW is pleased to see recognition of the need to deal with wildlife in chronic breakdown herds, we would seek to ensure that any strategy for badger removal be extended if benefits could be conferred elsewhere in Wales.

“A targeted wildlife approach is a positive first step in establishing an holistic disease programme in Wales.  However, it is essential that evidence on the degree to which badger populations are infected with TB continues to be gathered proactively across Wales.

“As with strategies relating to cattle populations, any indication of TB in badgers should lead to badger removal in infected areas,” added Mr Walters.

Ends

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has elected former Union President Emyr Jones as a life member of the FUW in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Union and Welsh agriculture over many years.

Mr Jones, who stood down as the FUW President following 15 years’ loyal service to the organisation at national level in June 2015, has previously received the Union’s annual internal award for his services to the agricultural industry.

The recommendation that he be made a life member was accepted unanimously by the Union’s Grand Council.

FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “I have always looked up to Emyr for the way he represented us with great dignity and forcefulness during private meetings with Government Ministers and officials and at public engagements throughout Wales during his time in office. He had a great talent for recognising the issues affecting the whole of Wales, whilst not losing sight of those closer to home. There could never be any doubt about how much Emyr cared for the industry, farming families and our rural economy. He is a true champion of farming and a true champion of the FUW.”

Emyr Jones was Meirionnydd County Chairman from 1998 to 2000 when he was elected to represent North Wales on the Union’s central finance and organisation committee.

He was elected national Vice President in 2002, Deputy President in 2003 and President in 2011.

Mr Jones is married with three children and has four grandchildren. A Welsh speaker, he was born and brought up on the family farm Rhiwaedog, Rhosygwaliau, near Bala.

The farm extends to 360 acres, with a further 400 acres of rented land, and carries a herd of 70 pedigree Welsh Black suckler cows and 1,700 breeding sheep.

Emyr Jones is a prominent member of many organisations, a deacon of his local chapel, and is a director of Meirionnydd County Show.

His contribution to agriculture was recognised when he became an Associate of the Royal Agricultural Societies, and received the honour of Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies in 2001.

Rhiwaedog has won several accolades over many years including the Royal Welsh Show Farm Buildings Facilities Award and the Snowdonia National Park Society Farming and Landscape Award.

Its main achievement was in 2008 when the farm won the British Grassland Societies National Grassland and Management competition in Wales and went forward to win the UK title.

He is passionately committed to the principles on which the FUW was established and has spoken frequently on behalf of the Union on radio and television during his time in office.

Responding to the announcement, Emyr Jones said: “I am very grateful for this acknowledgment and I consider it a great honour and privilege to be joining such an elite group.”