Wales Farmer July 2012 NEWS
Windofchange with approval for turbines
By Debbie James
ALANDOWNER farming next to the site of what will become Wales’ largest onshore windfarm hopes the development will pave the way for neighbouring farmers to secure plan- ning permission for tur-
bines. Developers were
recently
refused permission to erected 15 turbines on land belonging to sheep farmer,RichardHowells,
■ Landownerwelcomes go-ahead for giant site
at Gelli Farm in the Afan Valley, mainlybecause of concerns about their visual impact. But nowthatthe government
has granted permission for76 turbines to be sited at nearbyPen yCymoedd, Mr Howells is hope- ful an appeal could succeed. Anumber of applications on
behalf of other local farmers have also been rejected or with-
Search is on for future rural champions
FARMING Connect launched the newest element of its Agri- Academyproject at the Spring Festivalatthe RoyalWelsh Showground. The RuralLeadership
Programme,ajoint collaboration between Farming Connect and the RoyalWelsh Agricultural Society (RWAS), waslaunched by Professor Wynne Jones,chair- man of Farming Connect’s strategic advisory board, and this year’sRoyal Welsh Show president, John Davies,of Pentre, Brecon. The launch wasattended by
representativesfromanumber of keyrural organisations in Wales, and Mr Davies urged them to support both Farming Connect and theRWAS in their search for candidates with the potential to become futureagricultural lead- ers.
“The search is nowonfor 15
candidates whohavethe poten- tial to put Welsh agricultureon the international agenda,”said Mr Davies. “Manyfarmers aretoo mod-
est or reticent to recognise their ownabilities and expertise,and so we’rereallydepending on all rural organisations likethe Welsh farming unions,the YFC, and the Country Landowners’
QUICKsale
THE March 2010 born maiden heifer Cennen Siwan 33rd sired by Caran Dafydd Ddu 2nd topped the 23rd Annual Summer Sale of Pedigree Welsh Blacks at Llandovery Market. She was presented for sale by JR & DH Francis, Gwynfe and sold for 1600gns to AD Jones, Llansilin, Oswestry. Prices of 1450gns and 1400gns were paid for two more daughters of Dafydd Ddu from the Francis family. They sold to Lloyd, Kilvrough, Gower and JHJones, Troedyrallt, Llanidloes. Five in-calf heifers averaged £1,407 while 17 maiden heifers averaged £1,213. Auctioneers were Clee Tompkinson &Francis, Llandovery.
Association to nominate suitable individuals whomay not think of applying themselves.” Applications will be sought
from candidates eligible for Farming Connect support who feel they have leadership poten- tial, and whoare looking to develop their leadership skills and makeagreater contribution to the rural economy. Applicants will requirethe
support of an organisation who is prepared to provide arefer-
ence.The closing date forappli- cations is June 30th. The RuralLeadership
Programme will run during the six months between the Royal Welsh Showatthe end of July and next year’sFarming Connect conference in February. It will takeplace over eight
days and include athree-day studytour to the European Parliament in Brussels. The programme includes tuto-
rials and seminars on effective communication, leadership and management skills,successful chairmanship,networking and engagement. Further information and application forms are available at
www.menterabusnes.
co.uk/farmingconnect.
drawninrecent months,said Mr Howells.“Ithink the Peny Cymoedddevelopment will make our case stronger,’’hesaid. The 76 turbines at Peny Cymoedd, asite owned by the Forestry Commission, will pro- duce 299 megawatts of energy by 2016, enough to power206,000 homes
ayear.Itwill be among the highest of its kind in Europe
and will be the largest in England and Wales. Energy minister Charles
Hendry insisted the £300million project would have apositive eco- nomic impact on the community, although the number of turbines and their scale has been asource of concern forlocal residents. But others living locally, including RichardHowells,have been supportive.Hecan see the site from his farmand although he understands the concerns about visual intrusion he believes the land is ideal forwind energy. “Wehavehad various wind
readings taken because of our ownapplication and they are extremelygood,’’ he said. “Therewill always be people
whodon’t liketurbines and they will neverbeconvinced butiftur- bines have to go somewherethere couldn’t be abetter site.’’ The turbines at Peny Cymoeddwill be nearly three times the height of Nelson’s Column. The developer,Vattenfall, says
the scheme could pump £1bn into the Welsh economyand create morethan 300 jobs during the construction phase.
7
Forage bible on the shelves
FARMERS arebeing encour- aged to pick up the latest publi- cation thataims to help them produce the best forage fortheir livestock. The 2012 Recommended
Grass and Cloverlist is now availablefromHybuCig Cymru –MeatPromotion Wales (HCC). The booklet givesimportant
information and advice to assist farmers in selecting the best grass and clovervarieties to suit their needs. Lynfa Davies,HCC’stechni-
cal development executive,said: “This booklet is an essential tool
forfarmers.Grass is one of the most important natural resources thatthey have and it’s important they makethe best use of it. “These varieties undergo rig-
orous testing beforeearning their place on the recommended list so farmers can be confident they areselecting the best vari- eties fortheir farm.” The booklet is availablein
hardcopyfromHybuCig Cymru or can be downloaded from the HCC
website.Copies of the booklet will also be avail- able from the HCC stand at the RoyalWelsh Grassland event Pentre, Merthyr Cynog, Brecon, on June 8th.
FUW panel fields the questions
AFOUR-MAN panel of speakers with wide-ranging interests has been assembled by the Farmers’ Union of Wales. The group will attend a Question Time session on ‘The Importance of Co-operation in Welsh Agriculture’ during the union’s Carmarthenshirecoun- ty branch annual general meet- ing this month. The panel will consist of
ON THE LOOKOUT: Professor Wynne Jones, chairman of Farming Connect’s strategic advisory board, and this year’s Royal Welsh Show president, John Davies.
Safety hits home
ALARMING numbers of deaths and injuries on farms prompted NFU Cymru secre- tary,Maria Norejko, to organise aspecial safety dayfor farmers, farmworkers and their families at Myddfai Village Hall last month. Newfigures from the Health
and Safety Executive showthat 34 people were killed in accidents on farms in 2011 –morethan three times as manyasthe UK industry average. Maria said: “Thereisalot of
interest in safety issues as wit- nessed by the number of local farmers whoattended the safety day. It’sclear thatfarmers are looking to reduce risks on their ownfarms and as arural organi-
sation NFU Cymru is keen to provide anyhelp it can to our members. “The event included presenta-
tions on common causes of acci- dents, advice on safe working practicesand currenthealthand safety
legislations.Therewere also practical sessions on farm machinery safety.” She added: “Following yester-
day’ssuccess we plan to do another safety dayinthe autumn and those wishing to attend should call the NFU Cymru Llandovery office on 01550 720165 forfurther information.” Free practical guides on farm
safety areavailabletoNFU Cymru members,call 0870 8458458.
For the latest Wales farming news:
walesfarmer.co.uk
FUW national president Emyr Jones,Llanelli’sLabour AM Keith Davies,National Federation of YFCs and Wales YFC senior member of the year Aled Jones,and Proper Welsh Milk director David Miles. The meeting will be held on June 28th, Village
Monday, Llanarthne Hall,
Llanarthne,near Carmarthen, at 7.30pm.
at
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