[caption id="attachment_5592" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The dairy and lamb crisis was high on the agenda for FUW committee chairmen[/caption]

A delegation of Farmers’ Union of Wales standing committee chairmen held a crisis meeting today at the union’s head office in Aberystwyth, to discuss a way forward for the problems faced by the dairy and lamb industry.

Recent weeks have seen farmer anger reach boiling point, with producers holding protests in and outside of supermarkets in a bid to get a better deal for their produce.

FUW president Glyn Roberts, who chaired today’s meeting, said: “We have had a very productive meeting today and discussed the ways in which the union can help strengthen producer positions and make their voices heard.

“As a result of the meeting, the FUW is launching the ‘It’s more than just lamb’ campaign, which will highlight the problems faced by the industry and aims to engage consumers more effectively with Welsh produce.

“Over the next few weeks we will continue to meet with industry bodies, government and retailers to further strengthen the position of our members. As part of these meetings, we will be talking about farmgate prices alongside local procurement, clearer labelling and consumer behaviour.

“We had a varied representation of industry sectors at today’s meeting, which showed how important it is that we all work together to secure a sustainable future for Welsh farming.”

The Pembrokeshire branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales is taking a look back at the last sixty years of the union in the county at this year’s Pembrokeshire County show (August 18-20) and will also be asking consumers to support farmers by buying Welsh and British produce.

“During the three days of the show we will be meeting with both local and national politicians to discuss the current financial crisis hitting the industry together with other local issues,” said FUW Pembrokeshire county executive officer Rebecca Voyle.

“In addition, following on from discussions at the Royal Welsh Show with Ofcom, we will be undertaking a survey of farmers to establish the level of broadband and mobile phone coverage in the county and will be highlighting the “Take the Lead” campaign,” added Mrs Voyle.

Staff from Natural Resources Wales will be at the FUW stand every day of the show between 10am and 2pm to provide general advice and information on local nutrient management initiatives together with information on the ongoing review of NVZ areas.

Philip Meade, of Davis Meade Property Consultants, the union’s land agents, will be on the stand on the Wednesday of the show (August 19) to provide advice on a variety of issues ranging from rent reviews to compensation claims and renewable energy contracts. The RABI will also be on site in the afternoon between 2pm and 4pm to offer Christmas cards and 2016 calendars for sale with all of the proceeds going to the charity.

“Chris Coe, of the Farming Community Network (FCN), will also join us on the Wednesday (August 19) afternoon and all day on the Thursday (August 20) to provide information on what assistance they provide to the agricultural industry and details of how members of the rural community can become involved,” added Mrs Voyle.

The FUW has welcomed a move by retailer Morrisons, which will see the creation of a new milk brand designed to help struggling dairy farmers.

The new ‘Milk for Farmers’ brand will cost an extra ten pence in store, with the extra money being passed back to those farmers supplying the co-operative Aria.

“Milk prices have fallen drastically over recent months and this has caused tremendous pressure on family dairy farms in Wales,” said FUW milk and dairy produce committee chairman Dei Davies.

“The introduction of this new brand will further aid in bringing the issue of low milk prices to the consumer and allows for an ethical milk choice to be made.”

Mr Davies said that the FUW was encouraging shoppers to support British farms by choosing this new brand.

“The FUW has worked closely with the Wales Fair Trade Forum and the union continues to promote the concept of a fair price for a fair product.

“The introduction of this new milk brand is akin to a British fair trade product and this is something we wholeheartedly support.

“However, given that around 80 percent of the milk processed in Wales goes into cheese production, it is important to remember that Welsh farmers are not only affected by the price of liquid milk, but also by the price of other dairy products,” he added.

The FUW will therefore continue to draw attention to the need for fair farm gate returns in up and coming meetings with those bodies involved in the supply chain.

The Montgomeryshire branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales is putting on a hog roast to thank former county executive officer Susan Jones for her services to the agricultural industry and services to the union.
The event will take place on Sunday August 23, at the Cefn Coch Inn, Cefn Coch at 1pm. Tickets are available from the county office (tel. 01686 626 889) at £10 for adults and £5 for children.
“Susan joined the FUW during October 1984 as clerk/ typist before being promoted to county executive officer during November 1998.
“As a county we would like to invite members to join us as we thank Susan for her more than 30 years of service to the union and of course the agricultural industry in Wales,” said FUW Montgomeryshire county chairman Mark Williams.