The Farmers’ Union of Wales today gave a cautious welcome to a number of decisions made by Welsh Government regarding Pillar 1 CAP payments but warned that the devil may be in the detail.

Speaking after natural resources and food minister Alun Davies’ announcement, FUW president Emyr Jones said: “The inclusion of fallow land, hedges, stone wall, afforested land and land used for nitrogen fixing crops within Greening Ecological Focus Areas (EFAs) is welcome.

“Like the Welsh Government, we were opposed to the introduction of greening which adds a new layer of restrictions and bureaucracy to the CAP regulations. However, despite this objection the minister’s decision to allow the range of areas to be eligible for EFAs must be welcomed.

“But it must be borne in mind that this is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it will make it easier to comply with greening requirements and reduce the amount of land taken out of production but, on the other, it will create extra work for farmers who will need to map hedges, walls etc. before the end of October this year.”

Mr Jones emphasised the need to increase the range of areas and features which qualify for EFAs, both at an EU and Wales level.

He also welcomed the minister’s decision to revoke an earlier refusal to allow appeals against the incorrect categorisation of land as “moorland”, following pressure from the FUW.

“The criteria upon which appeals are judged must be fair and objective. No one can argue that it would be morally acceptable to have a system which sets in stone errors made during the original 1992 moorland mapping process - a process which few were aware of until recently,” added Mr Jones.

Highlighting the need for approaches which minimise the administrative burden for government and farmers alike, he said: “While the Welsh Government appears to have accepted many of our arguments regarding the active farmer criteria, there may still be those who are not automatically recognised as active farmers. For example, because they have a pheasant release pen or a village football pitch on their land.

“It is essential that some way is found to allow such people to confirm that they are nevertheless active farmers, rather than requiring them to submit annual accounts which merely confirm what is obvious but buries officials in paperwork.

“The EC’s failure to provide guidelines giving sensible and workable solutions to such problems is yet another black mark against an institution which has promised to simplify the CAP.

“This, coupled with the greening requirements, means we will have a CAP under which the bureaucratic burden will be much worse than at present.

“It is, therefore, essential that the Welsh Government stands by its commitment to reduce avoidable bureaucracy and does not add significantly to the burden as is currently proposed in its consultation on Cross Compliance,” added Mr Jones.

Exclusive tickets for a prime viewing location on the Farmers’ Union of Wales’ pavilion balcony alongside the main ring at Llanelwedd will be sold in a bid to raise funds for children’s hospice charities T? Hafan and T? Gobaith on the Wednesday afternoon of the Royal Welsh Show.

FUW president Emyr Jones said: “We are offering 12 people an exclusive chance to enjoy Pimms and strawberries on the balcony on Wednesday July 23 between 2.30pm and 5pm to watch the Senior Welsh Cob Stallions, which is generally the highlight of the main ring events during the show.

“Tickets for this exclusive occasion can be purchased on a first-come first-served basis at the union’s pavilion during the show and will cost £20 a ticket. There is also an opportunity to win two additional tickets to the event as part of a raffle prize. All proceeds raised will go towards our charities T? Hafan and T? Gobaith.”

Cardiff-based T? Hafan and Oswestry-based Hope House Children’s Hospices which includes T? Gobaith at Conwy will share the proceeds of the fund that was formally launched by Mr Jones at the Royal Welsh Show last year.

For more information about the union’s fundraising activities please contact the FUW press office on 01970 820820

THE crisis facing beef producers and the lack of opportunities for young farmers seeking to enter the industry were the major issues discussed by an influential panel at the recent FUW Carmarthenshire county annual general meeting.

The panel comprised FUW Ceredigion county chairman and Fferm Ffactor judge Aled Rees, former Carmarthen East and Dinefwr MP Adam Price, Ffermio presenter Meinir Jones and FUW younger voice for farming committee chairman Darren Williams.

During a lively question and answer session FUW life member Evan R Thomas asked the panel if enough is being done to support young entrants into the farming community.

Miss Jones said young entrants are integral to the sustainability of the industry. But with land prices and the cost of purchasing stock and equipment very high it is almost impossible for youngsters to step onto the farming ladder.

Grants are very limited and do not take into account the interest on loans required to initiate a venture. She compared the situation with France where interest-free loans are available for machinery and believed whatever help is provided initially should be continued for a number of years.

Mr Williams believed there was very little opportunity for those wishing to enter farming to do so. He would welcome greater tax incentives for retiring farmers to enable them to rent out their farms to new entrants.

Mr Price said devolution has played a significant part in assisting young entrants into farming but believes more could be done.

He stated that interest in farming courses has increased and this should prove there is genuine interest in pursuing a career in this demanding industry. With greater demand for sustainability and for food products increasing he sees a good future for the industry.

Mr Rees said the Welsh Government's Young Entrants Support Scheme was good but felt the available funds should be used to buy stock.

He stated there were still opportunities for farming entrepreneurs as money was relatively cheaper to borrow compared to years ago and he believed there should be incentives for farmers to retire to provide land for new entrants.

Carmarthenshire delegate on the union's agricultural education and training committee Lyn Thomas asked: "Having regained confidence in the beef industry following the horsemeat scandal, have supermarkets turned away from British meat by importing from other countries?"

Miss Jones said it appears they are now turning to other areas for meat imports which is crippling the industry. In Ireland a foods and agricultural minister endeavours to ensure Irish market is competitive for Irish producers.

The Irish market appears to be producing more than they need and is competing with the Polish market for the British market.

Mr Williams believed the strong pound against the euro is working against the beef price. Some supermarkets were still supporting British beef but traceability of food products is still debatable.

Mr Rees felt the Irish market should not just be feared for beef but, with deregulation of milk, this may have an adverse effect on milk production. He considered one of the biggest factors in beef and sales of beef products was due to the fact that most abattoirs are owned by Irish businesses who can obviously chose who they get their meat from.

He believed this should be reviewed. With CAP reform and modulation reducing the Welsh producer’s income by 15 per cent, against zero per cent in Ireland, this will lead to potentially an unfair market.

Mr Price called for more pro-active leadership to make people listen. The Welsh Government needs to ensure that Welsh Beef, not its competitors, is supported.

In public procurement in Ireland 88 per cent is won by Irish companies but he did not consider this is the case in Wales. He believes the public should be supporting local produce and efforts should be made to ensure this continues.

[caption id="attachment_2969" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] AGM PANEL: Standing from left, newly-elected county chairman Brian Richards of Llanedi, Pontardulais, with panel members Adam Price and Darren Williams and (seated) Aled Rees and Meinir Jones. Mr Richards succeeds Catherine Nakielny who was elected president in place of Ian Rickman who retired after six years' service to the county branch. Hugh Davies of Gwynfe, Llangadog, was elected as vice chairman and Ian Rickman.[/caption]

Farmers’ Union of Wales' Caernarfonshire branch has raised vital funds for Ysbyty Gwynedd Breast Cancer Research Fund by holding functions to promote national Farmhouse Breakfast Week earlier this year.

Representatives from the hospital were presented with a cheque for £1,260 last week by FUW member Ffion Parry who hosted one of the seven breakfasts held in January at her home in Pengelli Isaf, Caernarfon.

Mrs Parry was delighted with the response and support given to her event from local people who attended and local businesses who supplied all of the food for the breakfast.

She said: “It wouldn’t have been possible to have raised so much money had we not received such kind donations, and we’re very grateful to the following businesses for their support: South Caernarfon Creamery; Welsh Lady; A.F. Blakemore Cash & Carry, Bangor; O.G. Owen Butcher, Caernarfon; Dafydd Wyn Jones Butcher, Caernarfon; Wavells Butcher, Llanrug; and Tesco Bangor.”

Ysbyty Gwynedd consultant Mr Ilyas Kathak said: “We are extremely grateful to Ffion Parry and the FUW for nominating us to receive this donation and to everyone else who assisted with raising so much money for our fund.”

FUW Caernarfonshire county president Dewi Roberts said: “The support we’ve had for all the breakfasts held over the last five years has been amazing and we can’t thank the people of Caernafonshire enough for their support, and also the local businesses from all over the county.

“We raised over £5,500 between the seven breakfast functions and we are delighted to contribute over £4,000 to the Farmers' Union of Wales president's chosen charities - Ty Hafan and Ty Gobaith.”

[caption id="attachment_2966" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] From left: Dewi Roberts, Gwynedd Watkin, Ffion Parry, Ilyas Kathak, Ysbyty Gwynedd breast cancer care nurses Mared Williams and Edwina Wynne, Ysbyty Gwynedd nurse Carol Edwards and Ysbyty Gwynedd senior consultant Mr Minn Lwin.[/caption]