Wales Farmer 4 NEWS


STAFFat the Farmers’Union of Wales Anglesey office have gone the ‘extra mile’ and recruited more new members last year than any of the union’s 11 coun- ty branches. Presenting staffawards at the


FUW’s recent annual business conference in Aberystwyth, deputy president Glyn Roberts said the union’s effective stance on major issues, reflecting the views and needs of the industry, should attract newmembers. “The practical support and


advice available from our county office structure is undoubtedly one of the best services to be found within the industry,” he said.


WINNERS: FUW area officers and staff award winners Nia Wyn Evans, David Lush, Caryl Edwards with FUW deputy president Glyn Roberts.


Soil map relaunched


THE first shoots of spring have been heralded with the relaunch of a service to help farmers increase grass pro- duction. As soil temperature is one


of the key drivers of early season grass growth, Farm- ing Connect, in association with Natural Resources Wales has relaunched the soil temperature service. Grass root and shoot growth begins when the soil


temperature is above 5°C. Soil processes also kick in as bacteria start to break down organicmaterial and produce nitrogen in plant available form. The soil temperature serv-


ice includes an interactive map that allows farmers to see soil temperatures from sites across Wales to assess when it is best apply fertiliser. Alongside the map, inde- pendent advice and guidance


on optimum times for apply- ing fertiliser is provided by soil and grassland manage- ment specialist Chris Duller. He said: “With this infor-


mation it can assist farmers to make informed decisions which should result in greater utilisation of the applied fer- tiliser.” The interactive map is online


available at


www.menterabusnes.co.uk/fa rmingconnect/temperature.


APRIL 2014 Top union staff rewarded “FUW Insurance Services


continues to attract new busi- ness.Nevertheless, it is still neces- sary to go out and seek new members at every opportunity and clearly the winner of this award for 2013 has gone the extra mile.” A special award was made to Montgomeryshire area officer Nia Wyn Evans, who collected the most FUW Insurance Ser- vices new customer leads during last year’s Royal Welsh Show. Awards were also made to Llanrwst-based area officer Caryl Edwards (best perform- ance against target) and New- town-based area officer David Lush (best managed portfolio).


RECRUITMENT DRIVE: Anglesey county executive officer Heidi Williams with the new members award.


Online plans must address digital divide


FARMERS in Wales can now submit their Single Payment


Scheme (SPS) claims online. The Welsh Government has acti-


vated the new system which means that farmers signed-up to Rural Pay- mentsWales (RPW) Online can com- plete their forms online. It comes nearly a year after an online system was launched in England. The new system has been


described as a “positive step for- ward”by the Farmers Union of Wales because it believes it will reduce errors and allowmore time for completing forms ahead of the May 15th deadline. FUW president Emyr Jones said:


“Obviously problems such as poor broadband coverage in some areas mean that the system will not be suit- able for all, but the launch of the online system will reduce the work- load for many farmers, as well as


By Debbie James


FUW offices which help members with their forms.” Online submission should also


mean that data is processed more quickly by the Welsh Government, since the form will not have to be scanned and interpreted before being entered onto the system, added Mr Jones. Wales’ farming minister, Alun


Davies, has indicated that he wants allIAACS/SAF forms to be complet- ed online by 2016. However, Plaid Cymru says farm-


ers in digital ‘not spots’ must not be hampered by moves to complete more paperwork online. With problems such as poor


broadband coverage in some rural areas excluding farmers fromthe new system, calls have been made to retain an option to complete paper


forms. Plaid Cymru rural


affairs


spokesman Llyr Gruffydd said: “Plaid Cymru supports the increased use of online services for farmers where access to broadband is possi- ble. The benefits of using online serv- ices are clear. It is faster, simpler, it reduces mistakes and form filling and ultimately saves time. “The ministermust nevertheless be


clear that no farm business will be punished if it is still unable to access broadband by 2016. Digital exclusion is already a curse on too many fami- lies and communities in Wales. The Government must be clear about what support and alternative arrangements it would provide farm- ers that find themselves in such cir- cumstances come 2016.” AllSAFforms have to be complet-


ed and submitted by May 15th each year.


Strategy aiming to drive up livestock welfare standards


LIVESTOCK health and wel- fare standards in Wales are set to improve under a new


government-led strategy. The proposed 10-year framework,


which will succeed the current Great Britain Animal Health and Welfare Strategy, aims to enhance health and welfare monitoring. Wales’ farm minister Alun Davies


said high standards of animal health and welfare inevitably meant less risk to human health. “They are important to our food


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


production industry and are vital to helping us sustain a profitable and sustainable farming industry,” he said. Apartnership approach is a funda-


mental element of the framework. Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales, Christianne Glossop, said the gov- ernment was keen to work with industry and other partners to col- lect, share and use data to agree dis- ease priorities and identify solutions. “Disease outbreaks and the meas- ures to deal with them can carry wide


and costly consequences for public health, the economy and the environ- ment, and achieving high standards of animal health and welfare is important to all of us,” she said. A consultation on the new frame-


work will run until April 25th and will be supported by four briefing workshops across Wales. All the workshops will run from 10.30am-3pm and will be held as fol- lows: April 29th, Llanrwst; May 1st, Cardiff; May 8th, Builth Wells; and May 13th, Carmarthen.


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