Wales Farmer 10 NEWS


AGROUP of farmers from Finland has learned about the strengths of the Welsh farming industry and also the work being done to overcome its challenges. The group,which consisted of


farmers and other representa- tivesfromthe agricultural indus- try in Finland, were on astudy tour to the UK and visited the RoyalWelsh Winter Fair as part of their trip. During the daythey visited


the HybuCig Cymru –Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) stand wherethey were givenapresen- tation on the Welsh redmeat industry and the marketing and industry development work that HCC undertakes. Dewi Hughes,HCC’sproject


executive,said: “It wasreally interesting to get aFinnish per- spective on sheep farming and


Delegation take away planstosell to China


WELSH beef and lamb could soon be on menus and shop shelves in China. Representativesfrom


HybuCig Cymru –Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) and three Welsh


exporters travelled to the Chinese capital Beijing to dis- cuss gaining marketaccess forWelsh lamb and beef. Gwyn Howells,HCC chief


executive,led the trade mis- sion and said gaining access to the Chinese marketcould provide ahuge boost forthe Welsh redmeatindustry. “Thereisagrowing


demand forquality meat products such as Welsh lamb


redmeat


and beef in China due to the growing wealth of the aver- ageChinese consumer,” he said.


“Currentlyonlythree countries have access to China forlamb exports,and these products command a high price.” The Welsh exporters met potential commercial part- ners to learn moreabout the marketinreadiness forwhen access becomes available. The group travelled to the showin


FHC Trade


Shanghai formeetings with potential customers and also visited retailers in the coun- try.


“The Chinese marketwill


give us anew destination for our high end products,where thereisahigh demand from four and five star hotels.But China also offers us the opportunity to export sheep and lamb offal, products which arepopular in north- ern regions of the country,” added Mr Howells. Welsh lamb products are


gaining in popularity in the FarEast. in 2011, Hong Kong increased imports of Welsh lamb by 300% and was worth over £2 million to the Welsh economy, while exports to Singaporemore than doubled.


February 2013 GroupFinnish learningabout Welsh farming


hear about their experiences with some of the same challenges Welsh farmers face such as elec- tronic identification and produc- ing quality livestock thatachieve the marketrequired grades of E, Uand R.” The group leader Johanna


Rautiainen, whoisavet in Finland, said: “Wales is abeauti- ful country.One of the main dif- ferences to sheep farming com- pared to Finland is Wales has a lot moresheep and alot more breeds.


“Sheep farming in Finland is a


growing industry because we have alot of young, educated people coming into the business, whoare very motivated and want to manage bigger flocks. “Welsh farmers areluckyto


have an organisation such as HCC.”


Deputy minister for agriculture hits out at UK governmentover CAP budget and wages board


Welsh farm wages may be protected by newbody


WOODLAND CREATION


OPPORTUNITIES


Funding is nowavailable to landownersinWales for new woodland creation.


Attractiveplanting grants of up to £4,500/ha plus fencing and for farmersadditional payments of £300/ha per year for fifteen yearsare on offer.


Aswellasimprovedland,thegrants allowfor planting of bracken and acid grassland.


Formoreinformation and expert advice on the grants,pleasecall UPM Tilhill on:


Llandovery: 01550 721442 Bala:01678 522340 and quotereference WLF08


www.upm-tilhill.com UPM TILHILL


ABODY to protect farm worker wages in Wales may be established after the Welsh Government reacted angrily to the route Defra took


to abolish the Agricultural Wages Board


(AWB). Wales’ deputy farming minister,


Alun Davies,said he wasvery disap- pointed at the tactics used by Defra. The legislation to scrap the board


wasoriginallyincluded in the Public Bodies Bill, which meant thatthe Government had to takeWales’ view into account when deciding its future because agricultureisadevolved issue.


By Debbie James However,byadding the legislation


to the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill, Defraovercame this sticking point and did not have to consult the Welsh government by arguing thatemployment wasnot a devolved issue. AWelsh Government spokesman


said this decision undermined the consentproceduresthathad been carefullynegotiated between the two governments during the Public Bodies Bill’spassage through Parliament. “Thatthis decision wastaken on


the last working dayinthe Lords beforeChristmas and without prior


notification to the Welsh


Government seems to directlycon- tradict the UK Government’sstated adherence to aRespect Agenda towardsWales,’’said the spokesman. It nowlooks increasinglylikely


thatWales will go it alone by retain- ing its ownversion of the AWB. Mick Antoniw,the Pontypridd


LabourAMwhohas been vehement- ly opposed to the AWB’sabolition, suggested thatanew bodycould also be used to promote the agricultural industry in Wales. ShadowDefraFarming Minister,


Huw Irranca-Davies,described Defra’smoveas‘underhand’ and accused ministers


of ‘riding


roughshod’ over the views of the Welsh Government.


‘Failing our farmers’ by pursuing significant cuts


THE UK Government has been accused of failing Welsh farmers by pursuing significant cuts to the CAP budget. Wales’ deputy minister,Alun


Davies,saysheintends to continue to challenge budget cuts thatjeopardise the livelihoods of Welsh farmers. He describes the government’s


approach to CAP reform as his one major disappointment in ayear which he believedhad been “over-


By Debbie James


whelminglypositive’’ forWelsh agri- culture. The minister said he had made it


clear to the government thatthe approach it had adopted did not rep- resent the Welsh viewpoint nor the perspective


shared


Westminster and Whitehall. “The cuts


For the latest Wales farming news: walesfarmer.co.uk outside thatthe UK Government seeks in both CAP and


in structural funds will not help sup- port Welsh agricultureand will not stimulate the wider economyofrural Wales,’’said Mr Davies. “The Welsh Government will


remain an active participant in talks aimed at agreeing afair and balanced EU budget and Iwill continue to ensurethatthe needs of rural Wales areheardwheneverand wherever these decisions aretaken.”


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