The Farmers' Union of Wales Carmarthenshire county branch is holding a “Question Time” session entitled “Sustainable Intensification in Agriculture” during its annual general meeting on Monday June 6 at Llanarthne Hall (7.30pm) .

The panel will consist of Gelli Aur College farm manager and project manager SCE grassland module John Owen, Countryside Council for Wales district team leader Huw Williams , Carmarthenshire YFC rural affairs committee chairman Iwan Thomas and FUW deputy director of agricultural policy Rhian Nowell-Phillips.

A top-level delegation from the Farmers' Union of Wales has met the two new Welsh Government ministers with responsibilities for agriculture and later revealed the talks were "very constructive".

FUW president Gareth Vaughan, deputy president Emyr Jones and agricultural policy director Nick Fenwick met minister for business, enterprise, technology and science Edwina Hart - who has responsibility for tourism and agriculture - and her deputy minister Alun Davies, who has day-to-day responsibilities for agriculture, food, fisheries and European programmes.

Mr Vaughan said today: "We raised a broad variety of issues with both ministers including CAP reform, the Tir Mynydd and Glastir agri-environment schemes, and the need to continue the work of the Red Tape Stakeholder group.

"These were very constructive meetings and the minister and deputy minister informed us they were very concerned that the industry should be prosperous, not only for its own sake, but for the sake of all those businesses which rely on it, as well as the wider rural community.

"Both Mrs Hart and Mr Davies expressed their support for the industry and the FUW will be holding them to their words over the coming months and years."

Having attended a meeting of the Welsh food advisory committee earlier in the day at which Food Standards Agency "cost recovery" proposals had dominated the agenda, the delegation raised the issue with both ministers.

"We made it clear that proposed increases in inspection charges for slaughterhouses would result in closures which would undermine a huge range of rural businesses, including many involved in tourism, and would also completely undermine the Welsh food strategy," said Mr Vaughan.

A union delegation will also meet environment minister John Griffiths next Tuesday to discuss issues which fall within his portfolio including bovine TB and the proposed north Pembrokeshire badger cull, and sheep EID.

[caption id="attachment_4320" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Gareth Vaughan[/caption]

The EC's failure to allow rules which deal with technological failures while using electrical instruments to read electronic sheep identification (EID) tags was slammed by Farmers' Union of Wales president Gareth Vaughan today (Wednesday May 18).

Speaking at the NSA Welsh Sheep Event near Machynlleth, Mr Vaughan revealed he had written to the EC's agriculture and rural affairs commissioner Dacian CioloÕs and health and consumer policy commissioner John Dalli expressing the union's deep concern and dismay at the EC's response to discussions on tolerance levels for the "inherent and unavoidable problems" associated with compulsory sheep EID.

"The rules in place at the time of the 2001 foot and mouth outbreak were a world away from those which came into force in subsequent years, yet the tragedy which befell UK farmers then is being used to justify regulations which require the use of a technology which cannot deliver the accuracy required by those same rules" said Mr Vaughan, a Newtown sheep farmer.

"It is basically a Catch 22 Regulation which is tailor made to create financial penalties for farm businesses, and we had therefore been in discussion to ensure that the inherent shortcomings of the technology were recognised."

Mr Vaughan added that the EC is well aware of the problems with EID technology after being repeatedly presented with evidence which confirms it is not yet capable of delivering 100% accuracy, and had initially accepted the need for dialogue over changes which took these failings into account.

But at a meeting between the UK's devolved administrations and EU officials last week, at which a paper on tolerances was discussed, EC staff were dismissive of any approach which takes account of problems with the technology.

"This leads to the ridiculous situation whereby EC regulations require all those in the supply chain to record animal movements with 100% accuracy using a technology which - despite meeting standards set by the EC - cannot deliver such accuracy, and for farmers to then be financially penalised for these failings."

"Many farmers are now under the impression that the Commission's intention is to deliberately generate penalties by enforcing the use of an expensive technology which cannot deliver full compliance."

Mr Vaughan urged both European commissioners to ensure their officials take a proportionate approach to the issue of tolerances or provide guidance as to how all businesses involved in the supply chain can affordably get technology, which meets EC standards, to deliver "100% accuracy 100% of the time."

The Farmers’Union of Wales has once again urged the Westminster Government to appoint a Grocery Market Ombudsman without delay in a bid to end unfair market practices.

The union stressed its concerns in a letter to Defra Secretary of State Caroline Spelman pointing out it is almost five years since the Office of Fair Trading authorised an initial investigation by the Competition Commission which published its final report in 2008.

The setting up of a Grocery Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) in February last year marked the first of the key remedies outlined in the report.

The Government later announced it would proceed with the establishment of an Ombudsman to oversee the GSCOP and the FUW has responded to two separate consultations about the powers and roles of such an adjudicator.

"But more than a year after the first consultation on the introduction of an Ombudsman the industry still remains void of such a body," said FUW president Gareth Vaughan in his letter to Mrs Spelman.

The issue was also raised at the union's milk and dairy produce committee, meeting at its headquarters in Aberystwyth on Thursday, when members felt that without an Ombudsman the GSCOP remained hollow and ineffectual.

“Over the last decade the FUW has consistently argued that the UK Government should take the action necessary to redress the imbalance in the powers held by primary producers, processors and retailers,”” said Mr Vaughan.

“We are urging the new Government to remain committed to the establishment of a groceries adjudicator with sufficient powers to address the concerns raised by the Competition Commission.

“In 2010 the Grocery Market Ombudsman Bill brought forward by Ynys Mon MP Mr Albert Owen received cross party support and presented an ideal opportunity to take forward the establishment of a supermarket Ombudsman,” added Mr Vaughan.