Farmers from across Wales have come together online for a succession planning event hosted by RDP Law in conjunction with the Farmers' Union Wales.

Leading the conversation was Sioned Thomas, head of the Agricultural and Private Client departments at RDP Law. Sioned began the session by outlining the importance of bringing the family together to discuss the future of the farm. Sioned went on to outline common aspects of succession planning such as partnership agreements, wills, and lasting powers of attorney. The reality of dying intestate (without a Will) was also covered.

The interactive session soon moved to a question and answer round, with many attendees looking to ask Sioned questions about their own situations. 

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has reacted to the Welsh Government’s response to last year’s Sustainable Farming and our Land consultation saying it remains firmly convinced that families, jobs, communities and food production should be at the heart of planning a new policy - alongside other priorities.

During an update to the Senedd, Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths said a future agricultural support scheme will be developed around the United Nations Sustainable Land Management framework - an approach the Welsh Government has acknowledged is focused on the sustainable use of resources rather than a broader range of objectives.

Responding to the Welsh Government’s publication, FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “The proposal to adopt the United Nations’ Sustainable Land Management (SLM) principle as the objective and framework for a future policy fails to encompass wider Welsh goals and objectives, including those defined in the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act 2015, and therefore falls short of being an holistic policy. 

“While we welcome some of the conclusions reached in the Welsh Government's response to the consultation, we remain convinced that families, jobs and communities should be at the heart of planning a new policy - alongside sustainable food production and the SLM principles.” 

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has welcomed the news that free BVD testing for cattle farmers in Wales has been extended until 31 March 2021. 

The testing, which is provided through Gwaredu BVD, supports both youngstock testing and the hunt for persistently infected animals in order to help herds eliminate the disease and achieve BVD free status.  

More than 8,300 herds in Wales are now part of the programme and financial support is available to hunt PIs until the end of 2022. 

Dr Hazel Wright, FUW Senior Policy Officer, said: “The FUW, along with other industry bodies, continues to work towards those measures which will help Wales eliminate BVD.  This extension allows more time for cattle herds to engage in this free testing programme in order to ensure that they have prepared their herds for the possibility of BVD legislation next year.”

The FUW was part of an industry group that submitted a paper to Welsh Government for consideration of BVD legislation following the voluntary Gwaredu BVD programme.  A consultation is set to take place in the autumn and the FUW will consult with its membership on the proposals. 

“The Union’s Animal Health and Welfare Committee have been fully engaged in both Gwardeu BVD and in discussing how future BVD legislation might work.  We know that BVD is costly and estimates suggest that this disease can cost £4,500 per year for the average beef herd, and £15,000 for dairy herds through associated issues such as lowered milk yields,  poor fertility, diarrhoea and respiratory problems.   

“We continue to encourage our members to participate in Gwaredu BVD and we are urging members to take advantage of this additional funding in order to determine the status of their herd and to work towards eliminating the disease where any issues are found,” added Dr Wright.

A damning report on Wales’ Rural Development Programme (RDP) by Audit Wales has highlighted long-standing concerns raised repeatedly by the Farmers’ Union of Wales.

The Audit Wales Ensuring Value for Money from Rural Development Grants Made Without Competition Report, published today (June 30), says key aspects of the design, operation and oversight of the Welsh Government’s Rural Development fund were not effective enough to ensure £53 million of grant awards would deliver value for money, and that the Welsh Government had adopted an approach of granting funds without competition and, in some cases, without taking any alternative steps to ensure the projects would deliver value for money.

FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “Welsh farmers pay the highest percentage of money possible into the RDP pot through a process called pillar transfer, totalling around £40 million a year, whereas in most EU countries and regions farmers pay a tiny fraction of this figure.

“When it was announced in 2013 that Wales would have the maximum 15% pillar transfer rate - the highest in the EU - we were promised an RDP that would in return deliver transformational change for our industry.

“Having since paid in a total of around £230 million, our industry deserved far better from the RDP, and the concerns that we had raised repeatedly since 2013 over the RDP should have been acted on sooner.”