A variety of topics ranging from CAP reform, the future of the Euro and UK interest rates, and the controversial increased countryside access proposals were debated during the Farmers' Union of Wales Denbighshire branch annual general meeting on November 15 at the Brookhouse Mill, near Denbigh.

Members had an opportunity to question a panel - consisting of Anglesey farmer and FUW life member Tom Jones, HSBC Bank senior agriculture manager Bryn Edmunds and FUW land use and parliamentary committee chairman Gavin Williams - and discuss a number of agricultural and other topical issues.

Mr Jones provided an overview of the CAP as it is currently proposed in Wales, outlining the potential scenarios now being discussed in relation to land categories and how these might affect farms in areas like Denbighshire with its varied landscape and agricultural business types.

Mr Edmunds gave a bank’s perspective on the recent and long-term trends in interest rates, exchange rates and loan facilities (both historical and into the future) for various types of on-farm investments.

And Mr Williams gave the members an insight into the variety of subject areas that the FUW’s land use committee deals with throughout the year including the Welsh Government's recent proposals open up access to the countryside which is particularly contentious at present.

Following his annual report to the members, the evening was chaired by county chairman Iwan Jones who revealed that the branch had been particularly busy this year, with the main event being the National Eisteddfod, at which the branch had sponsored the Crown, undertook the parking duties for the week with the assistance of some local organisations and ran a very successful stand on the Eisteddfod Maes.

In addition, several shows were attended during the summer. The meeting closed with a vote of thanks by county vice chairman John Roberts who thanked the panellists for their contribution to the meeting, especially given the short notice following the withdrawal of Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas AM due to illness.

Welsh farmers were urged today to take advantage of advances in technology and research to maximise output whilst controlling production costs during the Farmers’ Union of Wales autumn conference at Aberystwyth Arts Centre.

Opening the conference FUW president Emyr Jones said: “Significant inroads have been made in ‘producing more from less’ but margins remain tight and we farmers must continue to work towards maximising outputs whilst controlling production costs.

“Technological advances in agriculture are not the result of adopting a one-tool technique but, instead, represent numerous different types of techniques to provide a package of technologies to suit different farm types and different kinds of stock.

“Over the past 20 years, agricultural productivity has advanced at a greater rate than ever before.  However, the ever-increasing pressure to reduce production costs and the rising global demand for food means that enhancing agricultural productivity remains a key challenge for the farming sector.

“Whilst adverse weather conditions and other factors, such as disease outbreaks, will have a short-term impact on productivity, it will be the longer-term advances and developments in agri-technologies that will have an impact on the growth, productivity and success of the sector as a whole.

“We are pleased to have such excellent examples of how the industry is moving forward through technology and research here today,” added Mr Jones.

Welsh farmers were urged today to carefully read any correspondence they may receive from the Land Registry with details of landowners who registered their manorial rights before the October 13 deadline.

Farmers' Union of Wales Montgomeryshire county executive officer Susan Jones said that after local landowners in the area had registered manorial rights by the October  deadline, farmers were now starting to receive notices from the Land Registry advising them a third party is seeking to protect the mineral interests.

"The notices explain who has made the application, what they are seeking to register and how to get more information if it is needed. They also require any objections to the registration to be submitted within 21 days," Mrs Jones said.

"It is this time period which farmers must make sure they meet if they wish to appeal. I've been receiving lots of calls from farmers about this issue and I'm concerned that some may not be aware of the need to respond within the 21-day deadline if they want an appeal considered.

"Land Registry lawyers will consider any objections in the first instance. Any ‘valid’ objections - for example, if you can prove the rights belong to you or they no longer exist - will then be considered."

The new police and crime commissioner for Dyfed-Powys stressed his top priority is to develop a rural policing force and take on more special constables when he recently addressed Farmers' Union of Wales' Carmarthenshire county executive committee.

Christopher Salmon provided details of his responsibilities such as setting priorities for policing and controlling the force's budget - £55m is received from Central Government with the remaining £45m from public taxes.

Dyfed-Powys is the largest rural police force in the UK with 500,000 people covered by the service. In comparison, the Thames Valley police force is responsible for policing five million people in an area a third of the size.

With the force thinly spread out over the area Dyfed-Powys Police, therefore, depends greatly on the local community to keep them informed of crime and to report suspicious incidents.

FUW Carmarthenshire county chairman Catherine Nakielny said: "Mr Salmon gave us a really interesting insight into the challenges facing the force and what changes this new office have put in place in recent months.

"The rural nature of our locality seems to provide challenges and opportunities and one of the messages which came out was that as well as relying on the police force we also need to work together to help prevent rural crime.

"A good example given was the OWL messaging service. This service informs local residents including farmers of any issue having occurred in the area," Dr Nakielny added.

To sign up for either the e-mail or text message service, FUW members should contact the County Office on 01267 237 974.

[caption id="attachment_2669" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] COMMISSIONER CALLS: From left, FUW county vice chairman Brian Richards, Christopher Salmon, Catherine Nakielny and county president Ian Rickman.[/caption]