Farmers in Brecon and Radnor will have the opportunity to get up to speed with the new tax rules, which come into force on 1 April 2019.

The ‘Making tax digital’ scheme will see millions of businesses and self-employed people having to file multiple tax returns each year.

In order to help those VAT-registered businesses with a taxable turnover above the VAT threshold, the Brecon and Radnor branches of the Farmers’ Union of Wales are including a special information session at their February AGM’s.

The FUW Radnorshire AGM will be held on Monday 4 February at the FUW Pavillion, RWAS Showground, Llanelwedd starting at 7pm. The guest speakers are Whittingham Riddell Chartered Accountants

The FUW Breconshire AGM will be held on Wednesday 6 February at Brecon RFC Clubhouse starting at 7pm. Guest speakers are W J James & Co Accountants.

Speaking at the FUW’s twentieth annual farmhouse breakfast at the Welsh Assembly, FUW President Glyn Roberts has warned that the disastrous impacts of leaving the EU, the customs union and single market on 29 March are already being felt.

Mental health, or poor mental health, is an issue that affects the farming community greatly and it is well known that loneliness and social isolation can lead to mental health problems.

Those working in the agricultural sector, like the FUW, will regularly come into contact with lonely people who are at risk of poor mental health and with this in mind, the Union made a commitment at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show in 2017 to further raise awareness of mental health problems in rural communities.

Taking that commitment a step further as an employer, Union staff have recently participated in ‘Mental Health First Aid Wales’ training, delivered by Emma Picton-Jones of the DPJ Foundation.

The two-day training course looked at various elements of mental health, symptoms and signs of someone with poor mental health and explored how to help someone with poor mental health such depression, anxiety and psychosis.

“Mental health is an issue for every workplace and workforce and I’m pleased to say that our staff now had the appropriate training, which will help them help others with poor mental health such as depression, anxiety and psychosis.

“The FUW takes its commitment to fostering good mental health serious, especially as our awareness of the risks for farmers become more visible,” said FUW Managing Director Alan Davies.

Former chef to Her Majesty the Queen, Huw Jones from Pennal, will be cooking up a breakfast storm at Canolfan Pennal, near Machynlleth on Thursday, 24 January, as part of the FUW's farmhouse breakfast week.

He will be joined in the kitchen by a group of enthusiastic young farmers from the local area, supporting the FUW's breakfast campaign, which promotes the quality premium local produce that farmers grow for us every day of the year.

The breakfast will start at 8.30 am and costs £10.00 per person, with all the proceeds being split between Alzheimer’s Society Cymru and Farming Community Network.

Speaking ahead of the breakfast, FUW Meirionnydd CEO Huw Jones said: “We are very excited about this breakfast. Huw and the team are bound to be cooking up a fantastic breakfast, which we can all enjoy together whilst sharing our thoughts about the industry.”

Other breakfast feasts in county are held on Tuesday, 22 January at Tŷ Mawr, Carrog, Corwen, Friday, 25 January at Fedw Arian Uchaf, Y Bala and Saturday, 26 January at Bryn Uchaf, Llanymawddwy, Dinas Mawddwy.

To book your seat at the breakfast table please contact the team on 01341 422298.