A Whist drive, to raise money for British Heart Foundation Cymru, has been arranged by the Farmers’ Union of Wales Carmarthen branch.

The fundraiser will take place on Thursday October 27 at Cothi Bridge Memorial Hall and is due to start at 7.30pm.

Speaking about the event, David Waters, the Union’s Carmarthenshire County Executive Officer, said: “Whist is the 18th century ancestor to many trick-taking card games such as Bridge or Hearts and it is a fun game of strategy and communication between four people that often brings out a competitive side in even the most unsuspecting player!

“I would like to invite you all to join us for what promises to be a great night out for friends and family and there will also be a raffle and some light refreshments. Our MC on the night will be Cllr Mansel Charles. For more information you can contact us in the Carmarthen office on 01267237974.”

[caption id="attachment_7095" align="alignleft" width="300"] (l-r) Aldi’s Buying Director Will Barstow, FUW Managing Director Alan Davies, FUW Glamorgan County Chairman Ritchie Walker, Environment and Rural Affairs Cabinet Secretary Lesley Griffiths, NFU Cymru’s Jonathan Huntley and Wyn Evans.[/caption]

The announcement made by retailer Aldi to introduce PGI branded Welsh Lamb products in 29 stores in south and west Wales has been welcomed by the Farmers’ Union of Wales, but the Union says more commitment is needed.

The FUW has long urged supermarkets to commit to the procurement of Welsh and British lamb and beef, as well as dairy products, and to ensure prices paid by suppliers or through direct contracts are such that confidence is revived to the extent which is now needed.

FUW Managing Director Alan Davies, who attended the official launch of the product lines on Thursday October 13 in Cardiff, said: “It is great news that Aldi is joining a wide range of retailers who have already made a commitment to sourcing Welsh PGI lamb and beef. However, we need that commitment to be extended to all retailers, across all stores and producers need to get paid a fair price with fair contracts.

“What is worth noting as well is that we have a huge market here at home for our produce - in light of our exit from the EU we must make every effort to promote Welsh lamb, beef and dairy products to our home consumers, who offer an addition to export markets.

“The commitment made by Aldi should also serve as a reminder to the Welsh and UK Government to start planning for more sustainable and supportive public procurement policies. Our schools, hospitals, armed forces and all other public services deserve access to the top quality produce that we grow here in Wales, and our farmers and rural economies deserve recognition for what they produce.”

Will Barstow, Fresh Meat Buying Director, Aldi UK said: “We are delighted to be introducing five new Welsh Lamb products to our existing Fresh Lamb category as part of our commitment to farmers and local sourcing. Fresh lamb is a versatile product that can be used all year round and we are confident that the new lines will prove popular with shoppers at our stores in South Wales.”

Mr Davies added saying that: “I am renewing our call for immediate action to initiate draft legislation which will mandate the procurement of British produce by the UK public Sector and urge those supermarkets and food-outlets who have not made the commitment to British and Welsh produce to do so without delay. This will support rather than spite the sectors which lie at the heart of our rural economies.”

By: FUW Managing Director Alan Davies

Back in the 1990’s I was running the business team at a company called CableTel South Wales, later to become NTL and now, Virgin Media.

We were building the first fibre networks to deliver TV and Telephone services and of course this new “big thing” called “The Internet”.

Even then we were concerned that this new connection to a “digital superhighway” could widen the gap between developed and developing regions in Wales. Has that changed? Or do we still live in a multi-speed country in terms of access to and performance of our digital lives? I think we do.

We still have over 15% of our population digitally excluded and even those that are connected many still suffer poor performance in terms of speed and reliability. Meanwhile those networks I was involved in building back in the 90s are now delivering speeds of up to 200MBps - way in excess of the 10 Mbps seen in some rural areas.

Sadly it’s our rural communities that suffer and having now worked close to rural and agricultural communities for the best part of a year I am continually disappointed that this situation still exists.

2% of our population produce around 60% of our food. Yet there is a significant part of that 2% who remain unable to connect to the internet from their farms.

To plagiarise the old joke, we seem to have created a 3 speed Wales Slow, Dead Slow and Stop. This might be tongue in cheek but it’s not far from the truth.

Those parts of the country well served are not only connected, but now have nearly two decades of benefit of internet connectivity. Digital skills are high, tech awareness is endemic and economies benefit. Inward investment is attracted, businesses “Connect” and thrive.

Meanwhile in the slow lane of rural Wales, skills remain poor as they’ve not been required until recently and the lack of mobile digital connectivity further exacerbates the challenge of getting maximum bang for the mega-bucks that have been spent on fixed line connectivity programmes.

In consequence those without a connection cannot diversify their businesses as some might do. They cannot support children with homework as many need to do and they cannot connect readily with Government programmes for advice and support payments as they are mandated to do. In simple terms they are still being ignored and the gap continues to widen.

But over and above all that, they cannot benefit from the wider impact of digital technology that is racing through many parts of the world. If you are not familiar with the digital world you will find it far harder to adopt new and innovative practices that could transform businesses.

And even those communities that are connected cannot maximise benefits. Training programmes that were available in “the early days” are no longer available for businesses today. So those late to the party through no fault of their own are penalised even more.

And while much progress has been made over the years to include more and more people in the digital world in Wales there is still more to be done; particularly to reach the most remote groups, those families that are farming our land to produce the food we eat and care so well for our natural habitat and landscapes, who can often be found in the most rural areas of Wales.

We must not underestimate how important it is that we get every part of Wales connected and exploiting digital technologies in order to ensure that we can help make farming and rural businesses more effective and efficient through that connectivity and help more people to a brighter digital future.

[caption id="attachment_7084" align="alignleft" width="300"] FUW and Pembrokeshire businesses highlight why #FarmingMatters[/caption]

Pembrokeshire businesses have put the spotlight on the rural economy, highlighting how valuable the farming industry is to the local community, at a recent farm open day arranged by the Pembrokeshire branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales.

The event was hosted by dairy farmer Meurig Harries and his family at Eithinman farm, Wolfscastle, Haverfordwest. Mr Harries who has been dairy farming for over 30 years, says that he spends on average 75% of the farm's income in the local economy.

The 200 acre dairy farm, of which 30 acres are woodland and 90 acres are rented, has been in the family for over 52 years and is now home to 100 dairy cows, which produce on average 1 million litres of milk a year.

Mr Harries said: “I would like to thank all of the businesses here for throwing their support behind this important campaign. Agriculture is facing a tough future and most certainly a changing future in light of our exit from European Union and we must get government and the general public to understand that if agriculture is supported it benefits a whole host of other industries as well.”

Joining the Harries family on the day were over 20 rural businesses that provide services to the farm enterprise, including Bibby’s Feed Merchants; PRAg who provide seed, fertiliser and agronomy advice; Peter Reynish, a big bale contractor; Haven Fuels; Carwyn Morris Plumbing and Heating; James Engineering, mobile agricultural engineers; Roberts Construction; Ernest Harries a lime & fibrophos contractor; Richard Nicholas ATV’s; CCF; Tallis Amos Group who are part of the John Deere dealership; Mason Bros Quarry Products and the Oak Veterinary Group.

Phil Rees of PRAg Ltd, an agronomy supply company employing 7 people full time and 2 part time during the summer, said: “I cannot stress enough the importance of a thriving agricultural economy to businesses like mine and to all other ancillary businesses linked to agriculture in West Wales.

“Small agricultural supply businesses are struggling to maintain sales and whilst strangling in bureaucratic red tape and regulations they are being mopped up by the big boys of this world. This ultimately cannot be good for the small/ medium size farmer, which is why it is imperative that the value of their end product increases.”

[caption id="attachment_7086" align="alignleft" width="300"] It’s a family affair - (l-r) Meurig, Bryn, Elfeira and Alison Harries[/caption]

Carwyn Morris of Plymwaith a Gwres Carwyn Morris Plumbing and Heating, told us why farming matters to his business, stressing that the survival of agriculture is particularly important for the future of our young people, he said: “I am a sole worker but sometimes other trades are involved in some aspects of my work e.g. electricians, carpenters, builders.

“For myself and the local community living in a rural area, agriculture is paramount to a successful business.  In my opinion a thriving and profitable agricultural economy is vital to rural areas like the one in which I live.  Not only is agriculture important from a business point of view, but also for our local communities, the Welsh language and for the future of the young people of the area.”

Another local company the Harries family deal with is the Tallis Amos Group (TAG), who were formed in 2014 when two long standing John Deere dealerships joined forces.

Being a family business at heart, they employ 115 people across 5 outlets, including 20 from their outlet at Redstone Road, Narberth.

[caption id="attachment_7087" align="alignright" width="300"] Phil Rees of PRAg Ltd[/caption]

Joining the event was TAG representative Steffan Kurtz, who said: “Whilst our customer base is as diverse as the product range that we supply, a large percentage of our customers are directly involved in agriculture.  For us as a company this means that a healthy agricultural sector is critical for our sustained future.

“Beyond the 20 people directly employed in the local community our customers and the money they spend with us helps to support multiple other ancillary businesses in the local area, from motor factors, to engineering workshops, tyre retailers, fuel suppliers, marketing businesses, the list goes on and on, even down to the local sandwich shop!

“Agriculture has always changed, and will continue to do so into the future, but we believe it will remain key to a successful local economy and community.”

[caption id="attachment_7088" align="alignleft" width="300"] TAG representative Steffan Kurtz[/caption]

Mason Bros Quarry Products, a family run business which has been operating for 50 years but has been quarrying locally for 26 years, employ 22 staff, half of which work directly for Mason Bros Quarry Products.

Daniel Mason of Mason Bros Quarry Products, said: “ A large proportion of our customers have direct or indirect links in the agricultural industry. It is vital that agriculture remains a strong force within the economy as within our area of operation it supplies a great deal of financial buoyancy for local businesses and feeds people's confidence in trading and expenditure.  The ripple effect of the agricultural sector being placed under strain can easily be underestimated, especially within such a rural community.”

Closing the farm open day was FUW Vice President Brian Walters, who said: “I hope that these messages resonate with those who have the power to ensure that agriculture faces a bright and prosperous future. As an Union we are concerned about the impact a ‘hard-Brexit’ could have on agriculture and with that our rural economies.

[caption id="attachment_7090" align="alignright" width="300"] Daniel Mason of Mason Bros Quarry Products[/caption]

“Our income sources will dwindle into nothing if we do not have markets established by the time we leave the EU and as some UK Ministers clearly favour a hard exit, we need to ensure that there are sound and sustainable mechanisms in place to provide a soft landing for farmers up and down the country, like Meurig Harries.  The industry simply cannot afford to lose markets with no additional support.”