The Ceredigion branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales is putting mental health and farming matters firmly on the agenda at the up-coming Annual General meeting.

The event, which is held on Tuesday 9 July at 7.30pm at the Moody Cow, Llwyncelyn, will hear from DPJ Foundation founder Emma Picton-Jones and give members the opportunity to discuss the most critical farming issues in an informal setting.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has welcomed moves by the European Commission, which aim to increase transparency in the supply chain, by improving the ways in which prices are recorded and reported.

In 2016, an EU Agricultural Markets Task Force (AMTF) was established to examine the role of primary producers in the wider food supply chain.  In 2017, following the recommendations of the AMTF, the Commission launched a consultation on the improvement of the food supply which covered three elements: unfair trading practices, producer cooperation, and market transparency. 

Having previously banned unfair trading practises and having providing mechanisms for improved co-operation, this latest consultation  seeks to improve fairness in the food supply chain by introducing greater transparency in the way prices are reported throughout the chain. 

“Tools, such as the Eurostat tool launched in 2017, aid transparency by helping demonstrate how price rises and falls are transmitted from one part of the supply chain to the other and what impact this has on each constituent element and how quickly.   

“However, at present, the EU only provides supply chain information such as producer and consumer prices and little information is provided on other supply chain elements,” said FUW Senior Policy Officer Dr Hazel Wright.

If adopted, the change would help address this problem by covering the meat, eggs, dairy, fruit and vegetables, arable crops, sugar, and olive oil sectors and each Member State will be responsible for the collection of price and market data.

"While we will not be subject to these changes if we leave the EU with no deal at the end of October, such transparency will be of huge benefit for UK farmers both as a benchmark and for those exporting to the EU.

The Montgomeryshire branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales has held positive talks with local AM Russell George, discussing the most critical #FarmingMatters.

Top of the agenda were farm thefts, livestock worrying, the introduction of NVZ’s in the county, as well as the future of farming in light of Brexit.

Speaking after the meeting, FUW Montgomeryshire County Executive Officer Emyr Wyn Davies said: “We had a really good meeting with Russell George and discussed the most critical farming matters.

“Our members are feeling increasingly stressed. An increase in farm thefts, livestock attacks and the continued uncertainty for the future of our sector, are all things that play on farmers minds.

“It seems that rural communities across Wales are being thrown to the wolves by the ongoing Brexit car crash, and we need more than just vague reassurances. Our farmers can’t plan for the future without knowing what market they are selling to, and who their customers are. 

Gwern Williams’ days as a Massey Ferguson engineer, working for many years throughout Europe, South Africa and the Middle East are over. Now he, his wife and two young children are running their own farm, Nantygwyrddail, Islawrdref , near Dolgellau, on a 15 year tenancy with the National Trust, which they took over in October 2017.

But Gwern hasn’t finished with tractors just yet. As well as managing the typical 350 acre Meirionnydd hill farm,  250 of which is mountain land, Gwern runs his own business repairing tractors and machinery to supplement income. 

“There are only about 20 acres of the farm where it is possible to harvest silage,” said Gwern.

“It’s just one of the particular challenges facing this type of farm, with limited land available to keep cattle over winter.”

At present they keep a flock of 130 Welsh mountain ewes, and 10 suckler cows, but hope to gradually increase the stocking in future.

The local FUW branch used the opportunity to show Dafydd Elis Thomas AM the importance of family farms like these and to discuss other matters such as open access to the countryside.