The Farmers’ Union of Wales has welcomed the Welsh Government’s commitment of £500,000 to farm charities to help address problems caused by the severe weather conditions, but has demanded more action to address problems with fallen stock.

In a statement issued earlier today (April 16), Natural Resources and Food Minister Alun Davies announced grants of £100,000 to Farm Crisis Network (FCN); £150,000 to the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) and £250,000 to the Addington Trust.

FUW president Emyr Jones said:

“The farming industry continues to reel from the severe impacts of the freak weather experienced over the past month, and FCN, RABI and the Addington Trust have been inundated with calls from those farmers worst hit.

“The Minister’s commitment is therefore a welcome one. However, we maintain our belief that more must be done to address the disaster which has hit many of our communities.”

Mr Jones also called for more action to address the issue of fallen stock collection.

“Almost three weeks ago we warned of an imminent and escalating problem regarding fallen stock collection. That problem is continuing to escalate as more and more animals buried under the snows come to light, yet the derogation is being restricted.

“We are being inundated by calls from members who have been waiting weeks for fallen stock to be collected, and as the weather warms up horrendous scenes are developing.”

Mr Jones said the FUW had already called for a reduction in the red tape associated with all burial derogations and for burial to be allowed across Wales.

“We have also called for a time limit to be set so that if animals are not collected within a few days of being arranged, farmers can bury them.

“If this is not allowed, I am extremely concerned that a severe animal and human health issue will develop. We have seen it happen before and we warned the Welsh Government weeks ago that it will happen again if they do not take more proactive steps. I do not want to be in an ‘I told you so’ position.”

A former chairman of the Farmers' Union of Wales milk and dairy produce committee is to lobby MPs at Westminster today (Wednesday April 16) about imminent cuts in farmgate prices for milk being sold for cheese.

"Welsh dairy farmers who supply milk for cheese production are seriously concerned following reports that major cheese processors are planning milk price cuts for farmers of around 2p per litre within the next few weeks," said Eifion Huws, who represents north Wales on the union's finance and organisation committee.

He plans to raise the issue during Anglesey Day, hosted by local MP Albert Owen, at Portcullis House where MPs will be invited to sample dairy products produced on the island.

“Last year dairy farmers across the UK held noisy protests against the slashing of liquid milk prices by 2ppl and the price being paid to those on cheese contracts is also under pressure,” said Mr Huws.

“Retailer profit on cheese is even higher than that for milk and DairyCo estimates that the retailer gross margin on mature cheddar stood at almost 50 per cent between 2011-2012.

“We are not suggesting a rise in the costs paid by consumers for cheese. Instead we advocate that retailers reduce their overly large profit margins and pay fairer wholesale prices in order to more equitably distribute supply chain profits. The share left for producers in the cheese supply chain is currently unsustainable.

“These cuts will be disastrous for the Welsh dairy industry which is already suffering from lower milk volumes following a major delay in the start of the spring grass growing season due to the recent cold weather. The future viability of this sector is under threat," added Mr Huws.

According to Welsh Government statistics the number of dairy farms in Wales reduced by over 800 from 2,727 in 2006 to 1,908 in 2011.

The Welsh Government is offering a few crumbs of comfort in response to the crisis facing farmers from the knock-on effects of the recent Arctic weather conditions, the Farmers' Union of Wales maintained today.

The union's president Emyr Jones, who has lost stock on his Bala farm, said natural resources and food minister Alun Davies' decision to extend the current derogation for on-farm burial until April 16 with the addition of parts of north Ceredigion was the least he could do.

"He has also announced a review of how farm businesses will cope with future difficult circumstances arising from extreme weather conditions but that is little help for farmers suffering livestock losses, damaged buildings and fodder shortages right now,” said Mr Jones.

“Most upland farmers coming to the end of what has been a disastrous lambing season this year are unlikely to have the energy or time to consider a whole farm plan at the moment and it is likely to be several weeks before the full extent of the losses can be determined.

“Despite the minister’s assertion that there must be an inherent weakness in an industry ‘if a single year of reduced prices, together with the difficult weather, causes such apparent economic disruption to the sector’, for those farmers who have lost a significant proportion of their breeding stock, plus this year’s crop of lambs due to the freak weather, this statement is insensitive to say the least.

"All the minister is offering are a few crumbs of comfort which will do little to alleviate the crisis facing Welsh farming now and in the longer term.

"When I met him on a Montgomeryshire farm last week I urged him to consider an emergency financial package as the devolved administrations in Scotland and Northern Ireland have already agreed to assist farmers hit by similar weather conditions.

"But he has shown a total disregard for the way in which many Welsh farmers are now fighting hard to sustain their livelihoods in the hills.”

Farmers can contact the RABI (Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution) Helpline for confidential help and advice by calling 0300 3037373 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Farmers' Union of Wales has welcomed a restricted derogation allowing livestock burial as a step towards common sense following its request for a full derogation on March 28.

But the union slammed the EU for refusing to allow a full derogation for those affected and called for further action to help farmers hit by Arctic weather conditions.

EU Regulation 1069/2009 requires farmers to pay collectors to remove and dispose of fallen stock - a rule criticised by the FUW from the outset on the grounds that on-farm burial has been carried out safely and without adverse effects for thousands of years.

Following severe animal losses due to the weather, the FUW wrote to natural resources and food minister Alun Davies highlighting the need for an exemption to the rule and yesterday (Tuesday) the Welsh Government conceded to a limited derogation.

FUW president Emyr Jones, whose farm is among thousands severely affected by the extreme weather, said:

“We welcome this concession but have highlighted the fact that it does not cover all those who have been worst affected by the severe weather and does not go far enough to take into account the exceptional circumstances facing farmers in Wales.

“Many have lost hundreds of animals and tens of thousands of pounds. Requiring them to pay further thousands to have dead animals removed because they cannot meet very strict guidelines will be emotionally and financially devastating for many.

“We have urged the Welsh Government to take this into account and to apply the derogation for all areas of Wales which are affected.”

Under the derogation farmers in Conwy, Denbighshire, Wrexham, Gwynedd, Flintshire, Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire will temporarily be able to bury sheep, lambs and calves but will be required to provide evidence that collectors were unable to access the farm.

In relation to the burial ban, Mr Jones said:

“The FUW is fully supportive of EC membership - without EC membership our farming industry would be economically unviable and we know from experience that Brussels certainly does not have a monopoly on ridiculous regulations.

“But the burial ban is a rule which brings the EU into disrepute and we will once again be writing to the European Commission to highlight our concerns regarding the burial ban.

"Those in the EC responsible for this rule should hang their heads in shame over its impact across the UK.”

Mr Jones also highlighted the impact of the abolition of upland support after more than 60 years.

“The abolition of Less Favoured Area payments after more than 60 years could not have come at a worse time and recent events highlight their necessity.

"I fully support Alun Davies’ ambition that farmers should be able to survive without any kind of support but I have yet to meet anybody with a coherent plan as to how we would continue to feed people while also balancing the books without EU payments.

“Replacing 80% of farm incomes with savings and increases in market returns is not a straightforward task.

"Reducing costs or increasing receipts per unit by a few pennies is one thing, and we should all strive to run our businesses as efficiently as possible, but to replace £260 million or so of income across Wales will require decisive political action in support of market-derived farm incomes by both Welsh and EU authorities.”

Mr Jones said that until such a panacea was found the FUW would continue to highlight the need for a genuine Common Agricultural Policy and for a Less Favoured Area scheme to be implemented in Wales, as is the case in the rest of the EU.