A delegation of Farmers' Union of Wales officers and members will attend a parliamentary reception at Westminster tomorrow (4 March) to underline the union's support for a Supermarket Ombudsman.

Led by FUW vice president, Anglesey dairy farmer Eifion Huws, the delegation was invited by the island's MP Albert Owen to the reception, co-hosted by Grocery Market Action Group (GMAG) chairman Andrew George MP, on the eve of the second reading of Mr Owen's Private Members' Bill calling for an Ombudsman.

"The principle of having an Ombudsman now has the backing of all the main political parties who, like the FUW, recognise it is vital in order to enforce the Grocery Supply Code of Practice introduced by the Competition Commission last month," said Mr Huws.

"The union believes the code goes part of the way towards breaking the arm-lock supermarkets have over their suppliers by providing retailers with clear guidelines for dealing fairly with suppliers. It also strengthens the union's demands for the Government to take further prompt action and appoint an independent ombudsman with real teeth to ensure supermarkets adhere to the guidelines.

"It is only then that we can be confident that the supermarkets' arm-lock has been broken once and for all - almost nine years since Tony Blair told farmers the supermarkets had an arm-lock on us and promised it was something 'we have got to sit down with them and work out'.

"Mr Owen's Bill will enable the Government to implement the Competition Commission's recommendation for the creation of a new independent arbiter with the power to settle disputes between major retailers and their suppliers.

"It has received wide cross-party support and was sponsored by MPs from Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the SDLP. It has also been warmly welcomed by the FUW and a number of significant charities, consumer organisations and business groups."

Nearly six years ago the FUW joined 16 other farming, consumer, development and environmental organisations to form the Breaking the Armlock Alliance and demand stricter controls over the major supermarkets' trading practices, particularly to stop them passing on unreasonable costs and demands to farmers and growers in the UK and overseas.

The alliance - which also includes ActionAid, Banana Link, British Independent Fruit Growers Association, farm, Farmers for Action, Farmers' Link, Friends of the Earth, Grassroots Action on Food and Farming, International Institute for Environment and Development, National Federation of Women's Institutes, National Sheep Association, New Economics Foundation, Pesticide Action Network UK, Soil Association, Small and Family Farms Alliance and WyeCycle - launched its campaign at a parliamentary briefing hosted by Andrew George on 16 March 2004.

But as far back as back as 2000, a Competition Commission report acknowledged the biggest supermarkets were bullying their suppliers and since then mergers and buy-outs have tipped the power balance even further in favour of the retail giants.

In May 2006, following public pressure, the Office of Fair Trading referred the UK grocery retail market for a fresh market investigation by the Competition Commission which completed its inquiry and published its final report in April 2008.

It found supermarkets guilty of transferring unnecessary risks and excessive costs onto their suppliers. In its proposed remedies the commission recommended a new Grocery Supply Code of Practice - to replace the previously discredited Supermarket Code of Practice - and the establishment of an ombudsman to police the new code.

Mr Huws said: "We believe suppliers are forced to bear much of the costs when supermarkets decide to launch price wars. Consumers are happy to see prices fall, and I'm sure that most believe that it is the supermarkets that take a cut in their own profits on individual items to try and win a greater market share.

"But I don't think they would be so happy if they realised that it is the farmers and suppliers further down the chain that have their profit margins squeezed to allow the supermarkets to make even bigger profits, threatening future food security issues."

Welsh farmers are being encouraged by the Farmers' Union of Wales to provide feedback about the scoring system the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) has set to gain access to its new Glastir land management scheme.

WAG has just published the documentation for the All Wales Element of the scheme - including the scorecard and guidance, Whole Farm Code and the All Wales Element Options - which can be found on the FUW's website at www.fuw.org.uk

The Scorecard has been developed as a guide to assist farmers in selecting the options available to them to complete on the farm. It will also determine the threshold number of points required to access Glastir based on the size of the farm and whether it is part of the Organic Scheme.

Once the chosen options which the farmer wants to or is able to complete have been added, the Scorecard will determine if the farm has accrued sufficient points to enter Glastir.

"The union is encouraging all its members to have a go at completing the Scorecard to ascertain how accessible Glastir actually is to farmers. We are also encouraging them to feed the results back to their county office," said FUW land use and parliamentary committee chairman Richard Vaughan.

"The feedback is vitally important to the union so that it can understand whether particular sectors are having difficulty in earning sufficient points to enter the scheme.

"This information can then be used as evidence to the Welsh Assembly Government on the accessibility of the scheme to its members."

The Farmers' Union of Wales has linked up with Environment Agency Wales to help Welsh farmers manage their agricultural waste better.

Recent research suggests Welsh farmers need more assistance with the problems of dealing with farm waste and a useful learning tool is now available in Welsh and English by clicking on the "Farm Waste No Bull" link on the FUW's website: www.fuw.org.uk

FUW president Gareth Vaughan said a recent "SME-nvironment" report by environmental guidance website NetRegs.gov.uk reveals the problem is farmers' recognition of specific waste regulations rather than compliance.

"The Hazardous Waste and Duty of Care regulations were both found to be misunderstood by farmers," he added. "Many had not heard of these regulations (Hazardous Waste 27 per cent and Duty of Care 27 per cent), meaning that they aren't taking advantage of specific support available to help them meet these rules.

"The research also reveals that while a third of farmers store agricultural waste on site, many do not recognise the important legislation which determines what can be stored, for how long and where permits are required. This research points to a need for clearer communication and support for farmers in recognising and so managing waste regulations."

The Environment Agency's NetRegs website is also seeking to clear up the confusion with its relaunched Learning about Agricultural Waste tool at: www.netregs.gov.uk/farmwaste

It provides the farming community with seven simple subjects for battling waste - including guidance on Hazardous Waste, Duty of Care and on-site storage and transport. It also details legislation specific to Wales.

Environment Agency in Wales land quality policy and strategy manager Simon Neale said: "Farmers' resources are stretched, particularly in the current climate, but we know that investing in environmental compliance can save rather than cost money.

"The good news for farmers is that the NetRegs' report reveals many in the agricultural community are already seeing the financial rewards of more effective waste management, through reduced operating costs and a more motivated workforce.

"We talked to farmers on the ground to find out what they would find helpful and our Waste Tool has been developed based on their feedback. The result is a single online access point to all the necessary information on waste legislation and we hope it's going to really help farmers."

The Farmers' Union of Wales has told Welsh Assembly Rural Development Sub-Committee members that the implementation date of the new Glastir land management scheme should be delayed by 12 months and the schemes it replaces should be extended for the same period.

The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) intends replacing Tir Mynydd, Tir Gofal, Tir Cynnal and the Organic scheme with the Glastir all-Wales land management scheme later this year.

But during an evidence-gathering session at Dolgellau, the chairman of the FUW's Land Use and Parliamentary Committee Richard Vaughan told the Rural Development Sub-Committee farmers had not been given enough time to consider the implications of Glastir on their businesses before the application window opens.

"Feedback from farmers who have participated in the pilot scheme suggests that Glastir is not as easy to enter as is being suggested by the WAG," said Mr Vaughan.

"The FUW believe that the scheme needs to be fully piloted before being rolled out and we have already made representations to the rural affairs minister Elin Jones to defer its implementation.

"The scheme should not be rushed out to meet an Assembly Government timetable which may result in the need for its early review if farmers don't enter the scheme.

"We do not see why the scheme is being rushed through and we have pressed home the fact that it should be deferred so that it can be put together with thought and utilising the practical experience of the unions to ensure it is workable and realistic.

Mr Vaughan added that the FUW doubts whether the Assembly's divisional offices will be able to cope with farmers' applications and interviews in 2010 and believes WAG has severely underestimated the ability and knowledge required by farmers to develop their own plans by the time they go to interview.