The Farmers’ Union of Wales has ensured that issues concerning changes to Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) remain at the forefront of politician’s minds.

Arfon MP, Liz Saville-Roberts and Mabon ap Gwynfor MS grasped the opportunity to visit Chwilog farm Mur Clwt Lloer - farmed by Caernarfonshire FUW Chairman, John Hughes -   to see the potential issues first hand.

John farms the 75 hectare farm which is all laid out to pasture in partnership with his father William Hughes and wife, Sian. Currently, they raise 120 replacement dairy heifers for a large dairy herd nearby.

Under current NVZ regulations in other UK and EU Nations and previous regulations covering 2.4 % of land in Wales, farmers with more than 80% of their holding designated as grassland have the ability to apply for a derogation to increase the annual livestock manure nitrate whole farm limit from 170kg N per ha to 250kg N per ha.

The agreement of a trade deal with New Zealand shows a willingness by the UK Government to undermine UK farming and food security in return for negligible benefits to the economy, the Farmers’ Union of Wales has said.

Responding to the announcement on Wednesday (20 October) that a UK-NZ trade deal has been agreed in principle FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “The UK Government’s own figures show that the economic benefits for the UK of this deal are microscopic. That’s not surprising given the population of New Zealand is lower than that of Scotland.

“The winners in this deal will clearly be New Zealand as it allows them to up their exports of food to the UK, representing a major threat to Welsh and GB farmers as well as to our food security.”

Anglesey dairy farmer William Williams, who has been farming on a county council holding for over 30 years, says that farming families are the bedrock of local communities, essential when it comes to sustainable food production and climate change mitigation.

Looking after 200 dairy cows at Clwch Dernog Bach, Llanddeusant, which includes 400 rented and 80 acres of owned land, William has always had a love for dairy farming. “I was brought up on a dairy farm and my father used to milk 6 cows. It inspired me and I started milking as soon as I could,” said William.

Starting with just 25 milking cows, William expanded the herd with the abolition of the milk quotas, but despite an increase in the numbers on his farm, he says it’s as sustainable as it can be. “I would consider our way of dairy farming very sustainable. We’ve kept this way of farming going for over 50 years. We have more cows now on the holding but it’s worth remembering that there used to be more farms around here, about 10 of them. We all had lower stocking numbers, with herds around the size of 10-20 cows. Those farms have been amalgamated into bigger units, so we have fewer farms but the same number of cows in the area, to the same acres.”

William is clear that the change in farming has had an impact on the local community. “Nobody can make a living milking 20 cows these days. We had to adapt but that has changed the community. The schools have closed as well. There used to be 4 local schools, now we have 1 big school. The smaller farms have gone, just as the smaller schools. It’s a bit sad really and just shows that farming families keep local communities alive, as well as our culture and the Welsh language,” he says.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales’ (FUW) Diversification Committee has highlighted the need for the Welsh Government to take robust action to protect rural communities from the impacts of second home ownership and other factors that are depleting local housing.

Following a FUW Diversification Committee meeting held on Thursday (14 October) during which the committee discussed a Welsh Government consultation on local taxes for second homes and self-catering accommodation, newly elected committee Chair, Dewi Owen, said: “Committee delegates from across Wales expressed acute concerns regarding the impact second home ownership and similar factors are having on the affordability and availability of homes for local people, and how this is threatening our rural communities.”