Deputy agriculture minister Alun Davies' decision to invest in a Welsh EID electronic reporting system raises major concerns and should not have been taken without proper consultation with the Welsh sheep industry, the Farmers' Union of Wales said today.  

In a statement issued yesterday, the deputy minister said Wales would introduce a "bespoke" sheep EID system for Wales and that he was keen to work with the farming industry to ensure the system worked.

 He also stated that they would be reassessing whether the current slaughter derogation remained appropriate alongside a central sheep database.

 FUW's hill farming committee chairman Derek Morgan said: "The question of whether a database should be introduced was considered at a recent joint meeting of the FUW's livestock and hill farming committees and delegates came out overwhelmingly against a database because of the complete lack of information about pros and cons.  

"There is no legal requirement to introduce a database, so Europe cannot penalise Wales for EID's inherent failures based upon us not introducing a database. There is even a risk that introducing a database could compound the major problems which exist due to EID's failures.

 "There is also a major question about whether the current regulations will be continued given moves happening at an EU level, including a legal challenge.

 "This is a critically important issue and the industry should have been properly consulted regarding the matter and given information regarding what introducing a database would really mean for sheep keepers. Yet we have been provided with virtually no information."  

Mr Morgan added that suggestions that the slaughter derogation could be abandoned in Wales were also a major concern.  

"We welcome the deputy minister's commitment to working with the industry, in line with Gareth Williams' 'Working Smarter' report, but this simply has not happened regarding this decision and suggesting that red tape and costs could be increased massively by abolishing the slaughter derogation goes completely against the 'working smarter' ethos."  

Mr Morgan said it had even been suggested that introducing a sheep database would mean having to report sheep movements twice, once on paper and once through the internet.  

"If this happened, it would make a mockery of 'working smarter ', and could be better described as 'working stupider'." 

The FUW has already written to the Welsh Government highlighting major questions which must be answered before any decisions in relation to a database are made. These include:

• How well the existing Scottish database is working and whether rumours of major failures are correct? 
• How well the Scottish database system integrates with farm management software?   

• The cost implications for farmers and government of adopting a database?   

• How practical it would be for data to be shared between separate databases in England and Wales, and whether this would happen in real time or at intervals?   

• How a database would work in practice for farmers, and whether movements would have to be reported multiple times?   

• How pre-2010 animals not subject to individual recording and reporting would be dealt with in a database?   

• How missing animals would be dealt with in a database?   

• Whether the important benefits which exist because of the slaughter derogation would be lost if a database was introduced.

The Farmers' Union of Wales has demanded transparency and the release of all relevant documents by the Welsh Government after raising concerns about the legal and scientific basis for environment minister John Griffiths' decision to vaccinate rather than cull badgers in the Intensive Action Area (IAA).

The union believes that the minister may have ignored the previous findings of the Court of Appeal in making his decision, and that there is a lack of transparency because important information has been censored from Welsh Government documents placed in the public domain.

During recent meetings with ministers and officials, it was indicated the decision not to proceed with a cull was based on an anticipated reduction in confirmed incidences of 13.4%, which the minister did not believe was sufficiently “substantial” within the meaning of Section 21(2)(b) of the Animal Health Act 1981.

It is also understood that this figure was compared with the results of computer models of the impact of badger vaccination.

But in a letter to Mr Griffiths, FUW president Emyr Jones states: “…the 13.4% figure clearly relates to an area which is larger than the IAA, and includes possible adverse impacts which would only occur if the geographic boundaries around the IAA did not reduce the negative effects seen during the RBCT (Randomised Badger Culling Trial).

"Yet we understand that the Court of Appeal ruled in July 2010 that Section 21(2)(b) of the Animal Health Act 1981 should only apply to 'that area' to which The Tuberculosis (Wales) Order 2011 applies - namely the IAA...

“...it is therefore clear that any judgment you made relating to the legality of a cull under Section 21(2)(b) of the Animal Health Act 1981 should have been based upon an anticipated reduction in confirmed incidences of 25.7%, and not 13.4%."

With regard to the comparison of real culling trial results and computer models of vaccination, Mr Jones adds: “…there is currently no scientific, nor, in our opinion, legal basis for making such a direct comparison, since the scientific approaches used to produce such figures are wholly different; one is based upon a simple extrapolation of the outcomes of real badger culls, whereas the other uses a large number of complex and unproven hypotheses to model the actions of individual animals, producing estimates which cannot be compared with real data, because no vaccination field trials have been undertaken.

Mr Jones highlighted the fact that when the same computer model is used to examine culling, it predicts reductions of 30 to 40 per cent.

Mr Jones concludes: “As you know, farmers throughout Wales, and particularly within the IAA, have shown a significant commitment to the TB eradication programme, and had a reasonable expectation that a policy based upon the best predicted outcome would be implemented in the IAA.

"Yet it is clear from all the evidence we have seen to date that this has not happened, and the concerns raised above also highlight major questions regarding the legal considerations upon which your decision was based.

"We therefore believe you have a duty to the Welsh farming industry to explain in detail the scientific and legal reasoning which underpinned your decision, and that, in the interests of transparency, and the credibility of the Welsh Government as a whole, all relevant legal advice you received should be released into the public domain.”

[caption id="attachment_3598" align="aligncenter" width="500"] From left: Anwen Jones, Iwan Jones, North Wales Liberal Democrat AM and shadow minister for children, education and the Welsh language at the National Assembly Aled Roberts, Farmers’ Union of Wales president Emyr Jones and Tudur Jones[/caption]

Town met country when former mayor of Wrexham Aled Roberts went on a "steep learning curve" by visiting the Conwy Valley farms of two Farmers' Union of Wales members.

Since last year Mr Roberts has been a North Wales Liberal Democrat AM and shadow minister for children, education and the Welsh language at the National Assembly.

He previously served the Ponciau ward on Wrexham County Borough Council from 1991 and was the town's mayor in 2003-04 before being elected leader of the council in March 2005.

During the farm visits he discussed topical issues - including the milk industry, the Glastir agri-environment scheme and CAP reform - with FUW officials and both farming families.

At Tudur and Anwen Jones' Ty'n Rhos Farm in Pentrefoelas, Mr Roberts was told they milk 80 cows and have a flock of around 300 ewes.

He learned that Ty'n Rhos is one of the few remaining farms in the area still producing milk and that the biggest burden for many milk producers has been the rises in production cost, particularly over the last five years.

"It is difficult to shop around for a processor who will give us a better price for our milk in this part of the country, which will better cover increases in production cost," said Mr Jones.

He told Mr Roberts Ty'n Rhos managed to gain sufficient points to qualify to join the Glastir scheme because he was a dairy farmer with a mountain.

"Unfortunately we've been refused the Agricultural Carbon Reduction and Efficiency Scheme (ACRES) Element funding and we still don't know what we may get under the upper level element.

"It was very difficult for us to make a business decision as we did not have all the facts to hand, and we still don't, which is an unbelievable situation in itself.

"The lack of information meant our decision to join was very much a step in the dark, so I can understand why others have been reluctant to join."

After having lunch at Y Felin in Ysbyty Ifan - courtesy of Eleri Roberts, one of five local farming wives offering various services to ensure memorable wedding ceremonies and breakfasts - Aled Roberts visited the nearby farm of FUW deputy president Glyn Roberts to discuss CAP issues in more depth, the Welsh Government's penalty regime, bovine TB and sheep EID.

Afterwards, Aled Roberts said: "This has been a very steep learning curve for me as a town person who hasn't been in tune with the agriculture industry for decades.

"I've had a very informative day during which I've been given valuable advice on the many issues that are currently of greatest concern to the industry."

Glyn Roberts said he was glad of the opportunity to convey union members' concerns to the AM and to emphasise how important the industry is - not only to the rural areas of the country - but to the economy of Wales as a whole, and everyone involved with the backbone of the language and culture of Wales.

[caption id="attachment_3561" align="aligncenter" width="300"] FUW Insurance area officer Dylan Evans ,right, clinches the sponsorship deal with Fferm Ffactor winner Malcolm Davies[/caption]

Welsh insurance broker FUW Insurance has decided to sponsor S4C TV agricultural programme “Fferm Ffactor” winner Malcolm Davies from the Llyn Peninsula.

Mr Davies's prize for winning the title was an Isuzu Rodeo Denver 4x4 and FUW Insurance will provide free insurance for the vehicle for one year.

FUW Insurance West Caernarfonshire area officer Dylan Evans said: "We are pleased to be associated with Malcolm's wonderful achievement in winning the Fferm Ffactor title.

"Sponsoring the insurance on his new vehicle gives us the chance to show that we can offer competitive insurance rates for all rural-based businesses.

"FUW Insurance is supported by a panel of specialist agriculture and commercial insurance companies and our field force of 30 area officers and two regional managers work closely with farmers to make sure they have the cover needed to protect their businesses.

"Our staff understand the needs of the rural community and will be there when needed to give all our rural business customers a professional, locally-based service."

Malcolm, a 38-year-old dairy farmer, of Dinas, near Pwllheli, beat off the challenges of Aled Roberts, of Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant, and Sam Carey of Rhoshill, Pembrokeshire, in what was dubbed the closest final in the history of the Fferm Ffactor series.

He said his prize of a new pick-up was a dream come true. "The 4.x4 Isuzu Rodeo Denver couldn’t have arrived at a better time as our old pick-up had packed up.”