[caption id="attachment_3989" align="aligncenter" width="300"] from left: Rhys Roberts, Joyce Watson AM, Geraint Williams, Owain Williams, William Powell and Bethan Jenkins AM[/caption]

Members of the Welsh Government’s Petitions Committee gained an insight into the impact of having a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) designation applied to a family farm when they made a Farmers' Union of Wales-organised visit to a Denbighshire farm.

The committee is currently considering a petition signed by over 40 people calling on the Welsh Assembly Government to overturn the proposed NVZ designation on the basin of Llangorse Lake that is likely to affect approximately 25 farm businesses.

The visit to the 500-acre Vale of Clwyd farm run by Geraint Williams and his son Owain was organised by FUW Denbighshire and Flintshire county executive officer Rhys Roberts who also took part in the discussions.

The committee, made up of four AMs from each of the four main parties and chaired by Mid and West Wales AM William Powell, were told Geraint and Owain Williams' dairy and beef enterprise was designated as a groundwater NVZ some 18 months ago.

Although the family appealed against the designation on the grounds that all the boreholes in the vicinity had nitrate levels significantly lower than the 50mg/l limit prescribed under the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC), their appeal was rejected and they now have to operate within the NVZ regulations.

The committee heard how Messrs Williams had had to employ the services of an independent consultant to calculate and prepare the detailed management plans required for the farm in relation to organic and inorganic manures, both for storage and application, which had resulted in considerable cost to them.

These records have to be maintained annually and adjusted accordingly to take account of weather and cropping changes.

In addition to the onerous record keeping, the farm had also required significant capital investment of about £80,000 to enlarge their existing slurry store to accommodate five months' worth of production and to buy a new slurry tanker complete with an injector system.

Owain Williams praised the Welsh Government for the 40% grant aid they had received for the capital expenditure but also pointed out that the grant application procedure had been very frustrating and time consuming to negotiate and complete.

Geraint Williams thanked the committee for visiting the farm and listening to their concerns and opinions on the NVZ designation while Mr Powell thanked Messrs Williams for welcoming them and giving the committee a valuable insight into the consequences of falling within an NVZ.

Mr Roberts said: “The visit provided a valuable opportunity for both parties to discuss the implications of a NVZ designation. The Petitions Committee members saw at first hand the financial and practical burden an NVZ designation imposes on farming businesses.”

Children’s knowledge on the role of bees in agricultural production will be tested on the Farmers’ Union of Wales stand at next week’s three-day Pembrokeshire county show (August 14-16).

Youngsters will be encouraged to take part in a quiz on the stand based on facts about the role of bees in agricultural production and the union hopes to resolve some of the negative perceptions surrounding farming and its impact on the bee population.

Visitors to the stand will also have the opportunity to see all the entries received by the union’s county branch for its schools photographic competition. The winners, runners-up and their respective schools will be presented with their prizes at noon on Wednesday (August 15).

The county branch’s 2013 charity calendar will be officially launched at the same time as the competition winners receive their prizes and the calendars will be on sale at £5 each with all proceeds raised going to this year’s FUW charity Cancer Research Wales.

Environment Agency Wales staff will be on the stand every day between 10am and 2pm to provide advice to farmers on a wide range of issues from the benefits of soil testing to the construction of new slurry stores.

Carmarthenshire County Council’s rural development team will be represented at the stand promoting various initiatives available for Carmarthenshire-based farmers.

Davis Meade Property Consultants and E-ON will offer advice on a variety of issues including rent reviews, compensation claims, on-farm renewable energy options and providing information about an energy cost savings initiative for FUW members.

“The union is also looking forward to meetings local AMs and MPs during the show to raise issues of local concern including the proposed referendum on staying in Europe and the potential impact on agriculture, TB and milk prices,” said the union’s Pembrokeshire county executive officer Rebecca Voyle.

The Farmers' Union of Wales will challenge Anglesey County Show visitors' taste buds in a Burger Taste Test over the two days of the show (August 14-15).

On the first day visitors will get the chance to taste three beef burgers consisting of the cheaper supermarket value pack range, supermarket middle choice brand and top of the range locally-sourced beef burgers from animals in the "Anglesey Grazing Animals Partnership" scheme.

On the following day visitors can challenge their lamb taste knowledge by sampling lamb burgers sourced locally from Dolmeinir Meats, Tregeian, as well as the supermarket versions.

"It will be  interesting to find out which choice of burger comes out on top. One just never knows what quality the public would opt for if they weren't actually going into their pockets to buy the products," said FUW Anglesey county executive officer Heidi Williams.

The taster sessions will take place between 11.30am and 12.30pm during the two-day event and "tasters" will be asked to vote for their tastiest burger.

The winners will be revealed after 3pm on each day of the show.

The Farmers' Union of Wales stand (No 115-116) will be a hive of activity during the National Eisteddfod at Llandow in the Vale of Glamorgan (August 4-August 11) when visitors will be taken back in time by displays of farming tools and photographs.

They will have a chance to guess the names and functions of the old farming tools and see photographs of  the renovation of agricultural machinery to working standard supplied by FUW member Lydric Jenkins.

The stand will feature some of Mr Jenkins' lifetime interest in demonstrating the committed and dedicated work of Welsh farmers.

Eisteddfodwyr will also be encouraged to show their support for Welsh dairy farmers by signing an open letter to supermarkets and milk processors emphasising the need for all those involved in the dairy supply chain to work together to ensure an acceptable and sustainable price is received by all.

A life-size model of the dairy cow Tegwen - Welsh for "fair" and "white" - painted in the colours of the Welsh flag will highlight the FUW campaign to achieve a fair farmgate price for milk during the festival.

In support of the union's fair dairy campaign a variety Welsh organic flavoured milk drinks, produced in Pembrokeshire by family-run company Trioni Ltd and donated by Daioni, will be available for children to sample.

"As the Eisteddfod is an eclectic mix of old and new, as well as a celebration of Wales and its culture, we are excited to celebrate heritage farming methods by providing visitors with an insight into the techniques that farmers used to produce our food," said FUW Glamorganshire county executive officer Rachel Taylor.

"We are extremely pleased to support the Eisteddfod in the county of Glamorgan and welcome all visitors to the FUW stand over the week-long festival for refreshments," added Miss Taylor. 

The union's property consultants Davis Meade and energy company E-ON have also teamed up with the FUW to provide visitors with energy assessments of their farming enterprises and ensure that farmers are receiving the best possible price for their supply of electricity.

The FUW will also be promoting its new student bursary scheme which is now offered to higher and further agricultural education students.