Wales Farmer 10


DIARYdates September


8th: Ferguson Club European T20 Ploughing Championship. Gileston Farm, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan, CF62 4HX. Contact Basil George on 01656 654440. 13th: Welsh Mule breeding ewes and ewe lambs sale, Royal Welsh Showground, Llanelwedd, Builth Wells. Contact 01982 553 614. 14th: Letterston and District Ploughing Society annual match, Trecoed, Letterston, Pembrokeshire, SA62 5UN. Ploughing, farm garden crops, display of vintage tractors. Contact 01348 840443. 14th: Mid Wales Vintage Machinery Club ploughing match, Red House Farm, Caersws, Powys. Contact 07732 614147. 14th: Usk Show, The Showground, Usk, Monmouthshire. Contact general secretary Faye Mear on 01291 690889, email usk.show@ virgin.net or go to www.uskshow.co.uk. 15th: Llangattock, Vibel, Avel and District Ploughing and Agricultural Society ploughing match. Venue to be confirmed. Contact Julie Jenkins on 01291 690292. 15th: Radnor Valley Vintage Club ploughing match, Upper House Farm, Kinnerton, Whitton. Contact 01497 851284 or 01597 851197. 20th: Beulah Speckled Face breeding ewes sale, Royal Welsh Showground, Llanelwedd, Builth Wells. 01982 553 614. 21st: All Wales Ploughing and Hedging Championships, Kinmel Home Farm, Abergele, Conwy. Ploughing, hedging and wire fencing for competitors from all over the UK. Contact Margaret Jennings on 01352 715404 or email Margaretjennings718@Bt internet.Com. www. welshploughing.com. 23rd: NSA ram sale, Royal Welsh Showground, Llanelwedd, Builth Wells. Contact 01291 673939. 27th-29th: Brightwells Fayre Oaks sale of Welsh Mountain ponies, Welsh ponies, part-breds and geldings, Royal Welsh Showground, Llanelwedd, Builth Wells. Contact 01568 619777. 28th-29th: South Pembs Ploughing Society annual match and Six Nations Vintage Ploughing


Championships. Jordanston Farm, St Florence, Tenby. Ploughing, plashing and roots competition. Contact 01834 870148.


OPINIONS September 2013 By Debbie James


rural areas could finally get some much- needed help at the fuel pumps thanks to the Treasury’s decision to press ahead with a5p- a-litre rebate for people living in the Welsh countryside. Rural motorists are unfairly penalised at the pump. The costs of transporting fuel to isolated locations like Montgomeryshire means prices are


Rebate would pump help into countryside H


ARD-PRESSED motorists in Wales’ most


considerably higher than those in towns and cities. The Government used the distant islands of northern Scotland as a guinea pig for this scheme when it began


WALES FARMER CONTACTS


Publisher: Nigel White nigel.white@


walesfarmer.co.uk


Managing editor: Holly Robinson holly.robinson@ walesfarmer.co.uk


Farmer editor: Rhiannon Llewellin 01437 761759 wfeditor@


walesfarmer.co.uk


Reporter: Debbie James 01646 661395 info@debbiejames media.com


Advertising: Chloe Hudson 01437 761798 chloe.hudson@ walesfarmer.co.uk


● Interested in becoming a community farming correspondent? Email wfeditor@walesfarmer.co.uk or call 01437 761759 to find out more.


We want to hear from you!


HAVE you got any farming news? If so, we want to hear it –straight from the horse’s mouth! Send your stories and pictures on any agricultural matter, from showing success, top mart prices and diary dates to your equestrian or countryside news. To get in touch, email wfeditor@wales farmer.co.uk or call the Wales Farmer newsdesk on 01437 761759. Please note, photographs should be sent as .jpg files, at least 1MB in size.


PLANNING matters


STATUTE and govern- ment policy place aduty of care on local authori- ties to update local plan- ning documents over time to ensure regulatory com- pliance and that sufficient land is available to meet current development pro- jections, for example, new residential housing, or commercial sitesfor


business purposes. Due to the technical detail


within statute,the development plans system is quite complex. As abasic overview, the local planning authority (LPA) would initiallyresearch growth and development figures to estimate land requirements.During the research stage,landowners may express an interest at submitting


candidate sites or be approached directlybythe council to bring land forwardfor assessment. After the development projec- tions and candidate sites have been reviewed, the authority would then consider what land maybeallocated fordevelop- ment in adraft plan. After a series of public consultations to gain input from local communi- ties,the draft plan would be finalised beforebeing submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (Welsh Government) to review. The Planning Inspectorate would then examine the findings of the research in apublic inquiry to assess whether the plan is considered sound, or whether further work is required. In total thereare 22 local


authoritiesinWales.Todate nine local development plans have been approved in the last


three years and afurther five are currentlyunder examination. CarmarthenshireCounty Council has also recentlynoti- fied the Planning Inspectorateof its intention to submit aplan for examination beforethe end of the year.The remainder arestill progressing planning documents, albeit it at aslow(often highly criticised) pace. Historical discussions within


the planning profession often revolved around alocal authori- ty’sability to complete or update local plan documents within a set timeframe. However,and moreinterest-


ingly, recent discussions have tended to focus on the long-term funding of council services and whether the current 22 local authorities will be reduced to around eight, larger regional authorities.Ifthis occurs there


For the latest Wales farming news: walesfarmer.co.uk


maywell be another shift in the planning framework,aslarger cross jurisdictional plans would need to be developed. It certain- ly has merit to encouragemore joined-up thinking and consis- tency in the decision making process,not to mention the economies of scale running cen- tralised services. As with anyregulatory


process,the planning system in Wales is continuallyevolving. Manyofthe challenges faced stem from increasing regulatory requirements set by the EU and Welsh Government. Over the next fewyears the planning sys- tem could face its largest over- haul if administrative bound- aries arerevised. However,ifthis does occur,


this is unlikelytodisturb the cur- rent plans system foratleast the next five years.


offering the discount last year. So successful has it been that the scheme could be extended to remote parts of Wales if Europe gives its blessing. For rural folk, driving is not achoice, but a necessity, and high fuel prices are rightly a major source of concern for many. We have very little public transport and often have to travel long distances to access basic services or work, journeys that are on average 50%


longer than might be expected in urban areas. Buses are the country workhorses of public transport, but they often don’t run at night, or on Sundays. Young people in particular struggle to get to work and it stops them applying for jobs further from home. If the fuel rebate scheme is to work, the Government must be certain that any reduction in duty to the more ‘remote’ petrol stations is


passed on to the customers. In the Scottish islands, wholesale prices apparently rose sharply just before the Treasury help started. Every penny must reach the motorist or it makes nonsense of the whole thing. Would it perhaps be more effective to mirror the Austrian approach where pumps are programmed to offer lower prices in rural areas to prevent fuel costs being manipulated?


Sellingfarm co-opshould be last resort


DEAR EDITOR, It is sad to think that


Carmarthen and Pumsaint Farmers is in financial difficulty after trading formorethan 100 years (Wales Farmer,August edi- tion).


Questions must be asked why


can an obviouslymoresuccessful companybuy them out? Carmarthen and Pumsaint Farmers has been on the slide for manyyears and again, we must ask whydid the directors not take steps earlier to turn the company around? Ibelieve thatthe directors


should have discussed the matter fullywith the shareholders,who after all, ownthe company, before contemplating taking such drastic steps. With aturnoverlast year of £24million, it should be large enough to be rescued from within and not sold offtoanother com- panyand lose its local identity. As apast director,ithas been


obvious to me thatthe decline started morethan adecade ago and with respect, Imust question whythey did not see fittotake action to turn the company around, such as closing some branches to ease their obvious short termcash flow instead of opening abranch


in


Haverfordwest, in opposition to Clynderwen and Cardiganshire Farmers,who were serving that area. It is the moral duty of the


directors to call apublic meeting of the shareholders to discuss the matter fullywith them and take their advice on the wayforward. Selling out to another company


is onlyone of the options and, I would suggest, should be the last option.


Sir Eric Howells MeadowView


Llanddewi Velfrey Narberth


Pembrokeshire


In his regular column for Wales Farmer, WAYNE REYNOLDS, director of Atriarc Group, offers an update on the development plans system in Wales.


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