The Farmers’ Union of Wales has described a meeting with newly appointed DEFRA secretary of state, Liz Truss, as extremely positive.

Speaking after the meeting, which took place at the Royal Welsh Show today (July 21), FUW president Emyr Jones said “We covered a range of issues of concern to the Welsh industry, including bovine TB, farmgate commodity prices, and the future of the CAP.

“We also took the opportunity to congratulate the minister on the newly announced £400 million plan for public procurement.”

Mr Jones said there was a great deal of common ground, and that the union looked forward to working with the minister over the coming months with regard to those issues which are not devolved.

[caption id="attachment_3002" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] from left: FUW finance and organisation committee member Eifion Huws, DEFRA secretary of state Liz Truss, FUW president Emyr Jones and FUW deputy president Glyn Roberts[/caption]

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has welcomed a commitment by prime minister David Cameron and environment secretary Liz Truss to boost public food procurement by central government.

The plan for public procurement, worth £400 million for British farming, would see central government committing to buying fresh, locally sourced, seasonal food, from 2017.

Speaking after a reception with prime minister David Cameron, FUW president Emyr Jones said: “Whilst we understand that this is a central government plan, it will clearly bring benefits for farmers across the UK, and we hope will encourage all public bodies to follow suit, including those not run by central government and in Wales.

“The FUW has been lobbying for precisely this type of commitment ever since I have been involved with the union and we congratulate Mr Cameron for this initiative. “

“It is in all our interests to ensure that all public bodies use locally sourced and seasonal food to ensure a prosperous and thriving economy.

“It is extremely frustrating when some government departments work hard to support rural communities and promote our produce, while others are actively buying from our competitors,” added Mr Jones.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales is set to highlight the impact of falling meat and dairy prices and call for greater domestic support for Welsh produce during meetings with major retailers and politicians over the coming days at the Royal Welsh Show (July 21-24).

With farmgate prices for beef having seen a major reduction over a period of months, and lamb and milk prices recently following a similar trend, the FUW is warning that domestic support for Welsh and British produce is critical.

“Farmers are extremely frustrated that a little over a year ago support was pledged by the food industry for Welsh and British produce following the horsemeat scandal, but a year on our produce is being displaced by imported produce and prices have fallen dramatically,” said FUW president Emyr Jones.

“We have already been in correspondence and meetings with major retailers, and have further meetings lined up over the coming days.

“We will also be highlighting our concerns to numerous ministers and politicians in meetings during the week here at the show.”

Mr Jones said that profitable agriculture is essential for a thriving rural Wales and emphasised the direct and indirect support farming provides in terms of employment and income for a wealth of businesses in both rural and urban areas.

“Farmers recognise the complexities inherent in the commodities marketplace, but the profits from food production must be split equitably throughout the supply chain if all the broader benefits of agriculture are to remain,” added Mr Jones, who also called on governments to play their part.

“We are currently facing a massive escalation in red tape due to the new CAP, and if the new and draconian cross compliance measures proposed by the Welsh Government are implemented, the industry will see additional costs escalate.

“We are constantly being told to be more efficient, but the appetite various levels of government have for additional rules contradicts any commitments to reduce bureaucracy.

“It is also essential that governments lead by example when it comes to promoting, buying and promoting local produce.”

Mr Jones said that the impact of farming on urban and rural environments should not be underestimated, highlighting the fact that The Royal Welsh Show contributes more than £40 million to the Welsh economy and demonstrates the tremendous value of the sector.

Farmers who believe they have incorrectly mapped areas of moorland should take action before the 30 day appeals deadline the Farmers’ Union of Wales has warned today.

The union also criticised Welsh government legislation which would set in stone 1992 mapping errors, and warned that the official guidance sent to farmers which gives definitions of moorland is highly misleading and does not give the whole picture.

The guide to the basic payment scheme (BPS) in Wales sent to farmers over the past week states that moorland will be defined as ‘(a) land classified as moorland on the Wales 1992 Moorland Map, and (b) which has an altitude of 400 metres and above, and (c) has the sort of land as set out in regulation 2(1) of the moorland (livestock extensification) (Wales) Regulations 1995’. The guidance indicates farmers can appeal against the mapping of land which does not meet these criteria.

“But the Welsh statutory instrument defining moorland areas, which was laid on Monday this week, has a far more restrictive definition of land eligible to be removed from the moorland map than is indicated either in the guidance sent to farmers or the 1995 regulations” said FUW policy director Nick Fenwick.

“Critically, it implies that for land to be removed from the map it must ‘…have more than 40%’ perennial ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, white clover, red clover, and/or Timothy grass.”

“This is almost double the threshold for the Environmental Impact Assessment definition of uncultivated or semi-natural land. The Welsh Government has basically introduced a draconian definition not present in either the original 1992 moorland definition nor the 1995 regulations which means non-moorland will be categorised as moorland.”

Mr Fenwick said this would lead to many errors made during the 1992 moorland mapping process being ‘preserved in stone’.

“We have been pursuing this issue for some time, and have succeeded in persuading Welsh government to do a U-turn on its original decision not to allow any appeals based upon incorrect mapping in 1992.

“However, it is unacceptable that the definition has been gold-plated in a way which seems specifically aimed at keeping some incorrectly mapped areas within the moorland area.

“Moreover, it is appalling that this additional definition is not mentioned in the guidance sent to farmers, but is nevertheless specified in the statutory instrument.”

Mr Fenwick said that the definition was so inaccurate that it would lead to some areas being classed as moorland for the purposes of payments, and arable land for the purpose of the new greening regulations.

“This highlights the ridiculous nature of the statutory instrument, and we have been highlighting for weeks the likelihood that this proposal will lead to legal challenges on a range of very valid grounds.”