Wales Farmer JANUARY 2014 COUNTRYSIDE


400 horses seized in curb on fly-grazing


FOUR hundred horses have been seized from land in south Wales in a large-scale


involving the police and


the RSPCA. Aquarter of the horses


removedfromprivate land at Wick in South Glamorgan had to be put down while the remainder were taken to aplace of safety. Although the incident wason


private land, Welsh farming min- ister Alun Davies said it empha- sised the need forthe Welsh Government’sproposed Control of Horses (Wales) Bill. One farmer whoisonlytoo


awareofthe scale of horse aban- donment and flygrazing is live- stock producer William Jenkins. He relies on common land


grazing to feed his stock in the spring and moresothan everthis year after one of the harshest winters he can recall. But when Mr Jenkins turned flock onto Manmoel


his


Common in the heart of the South Wales Valleys in Maythere waslittle grass to be grazed because anyearly spring grass therehad alreadybeen eaten by dozens of abandoned ponies. Unsurprisingly, manyofthose horses had alreadyperished in


By Debbie James operation


prolonged freezing conditions, dying either of starvation or exposure. Flygrazing has been an issue


on Manmoel Common near Ebbw Vale formorethan 10 years,robbing farmers with his- toric rights to grazethatcommon of an important food source for their livestock. “Therecan be 50 or 60 ponies


on thereatany one time,’’said Mr Jenkins,who runs abeef and sheep farmatBlackwood. “In October Igather the sheep


offthe hill and bring them back to the farmuntil the following May. Last spring we had asitua- tion wheretherewas no grass to turn the animals onto.’’ The problem has increased as


the value of horses has plummet- ed.


“Farmers can advertise ahorse


and sell it after 14 days to cover their costs butifa ponyhas no passport or microchip thatani- mal can’t be sold. It would cost a farmer moretoget the passport and microchip than the horse is worth,’’ he explained. Mr Jenkins has also had


ponies turned into his fields, although he said this problem wasgreater on farms near to


27


Focus on parks’ role in


economy


NATIONAL parks in Wales play acritical role in supporting the Welsh economy, areport has revealed. The report, Valuing Wales’


National Parks, wascommis- sioned by National ParksWales, the Welsh Local Government Association


and Natural


Resources Wales. It examines the economic con-


tribution of national parks and their impact on people. The report found thattogether,


Wales’ national parks attracted morethan 12 million visitors each year,spending an estimated £1billion on goods and services, outperforming their English and Scottish counterparts in terms of visitor nights –with ahigher pro- portion of visitors staying in the Welsh countryside. The findings of the report


recognise the national parks’ role in the economy, as well as the recreational and cultural benefits and their wider tourism value as high-profile international brands. PembrokeshireCoast National


HISTORIC RIGHTS: William Jenkins relies on common land grazing to feed his stock in the spring, but flygrazing can mean food is in short supply.


large towns and cities along the M4 corridor in south Wales. “Large numbers of horses can appear in afield overnight and by


the time the farmer has gone through the correct channels the horses have been removedbut by then the damage has been done,’’


PICTURE: Debbie James.


Mr Jenkins explained. “The people whoown the


horses knowthe lawand know howtoget away with it.’’


Rural police ‘top priority’, pledges commissioner


RURAL policing is the top prior- ity forthe man whoruns the UK’slargest rural police force. Dyfed-Powys Police and Commissioner


Crime Christopher Salmon, spoketo


farmers in Carmarthenshire, about his responsibilities and told members of the Farmers’ Union of Wales thathis top pri- ority wastodevelop arural polic- ing forceand takeonmorespe-


cial constables. FUW Carmarthenshirecoun-


ty chairman Catherine Nakielny said: “The rural natureofour locality seems to provide chal- lenges and opportunities and one


of the messages which came out wasthataswell as relying on the police forcewealso need to work together to help prevent rural crime. “A good example givenwas the


OWLmessaging service.This service informs local residents including farmers of anyissue having occurred in the area.” To sign up FUW members can contact 01267 237974.


Park and the surrounding area attracts 4.2 million visitors ayear, supports morethan 7,000 jobs andcontributes £187million to theWelsh economy. Preseli PembrokeshireAM Davies


Paul


said:


“Understanding their economic value is crucial on so manylevels. The findings of the report, Valuing Wales’ National Parks, arevery positive indeed, high- lighting their significant contri- bution to the Welsh economy.” At the National Assembly a


cross-party group of AMs paid tribute to the work of the PembrokeshireCoast, Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia parks.


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


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