THE HERALD FRIDAY JANUARY 20 2017


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Hybu Cig Cymru By Gwawr Parry, 2. Not all ‘affordable housing’ has


to be available for purchase whether in whole or part. Draenog visited the village of


Medroilyn not long ago. It was blissfully quiet, not least because of the number of empty houses, either on the market for vacant possession or otherwise unoccupied ‘out of season’. The only place that has seen an


explosion of permanent housing is the area around Aberystwyth. The County Council is committed to striving to make Aberystwyth a thriving regional centre. Gutting the villages of Ceredigion by starving them of investment is not, however, the way to achieve that end. The County Council’s aim for


Aberystwyth can best be expressed by reference to Joseph Heller’s God Knows, a riff on the life of King David. In the book, David reflects on


his lifetime’s achievements: “I took a kingdom the size of Vermont,” the king says, “and turned it into an empire the size of Maine.” Subtract the student population


from Aberystwyth and what you have left is a town whose population is around 13,000. Add in the suburbs, like Llanbadarn Fawr, and you get around 16,000 as a permanent population. The Welsh


G o v e r n m e n t ’ s statistics unit noted in its most recent report on the subject that, outside Cardiff, population growth in Wales is the lowest of any part of the UK. Ceredigion’s population is actually in decline. And that population decline was especially noticeable in Aberystwyth town itself. The last census saw a decline of 2,000 in the population count there. New Quay’s permanent


population has shrunk as the town has switched from being a thriving community 12 months of the year, to a destination


for five or six. The shortage is not of houses, readers: it is of homes. Where homes are needed are in


rural communities. Young families have been forced out of their home areas by a combination of second home owners, buy to let landlords, holiday home owners, and the building of housing that is not suited to people on average wages. As an illustration of that point,


Draenog invites you to peek over the border at Pembrokeshire. Some residents of the rather chi-chi settlement of Newport rocked up at a National Park planning meeting last year protesting a new housing development. It was a shameful protest that saw one Newport resident stand outside the meeting with a sign pleading with planners to say no to a ‘social housing ghetto’. A protest Draenog would


wholeheartedly endorse would be one that enabled young people to stay in their communities if that is what they wish to do. No more cookie-cutter estates; the end of the social cleansing of the countryside; the provision of real local choice in housing. It’d be one change to the countryside Draenog would welcome.


Wales are at risk of contracting liver fluke infection this winter. There is a moderate to high


risk of the disease in the Mid and South Wales areas, according to the latest NADIS (National Animal Disease Information Service) parasite forecast. Liver fluke infection can


have an adverse effect on the performance of farm animals. Sheep and cows infected with the parasite could take a lot longer to reach target weight and finish; in lambs, it could lead to a 30% reduction in daily live weight gain. This causes a financial loss to farmers through the increased amount of feed required. Other consequences of liver fluke include higher barren


HCC’s Industry Development Manager


Look out for liver fluke this winter SHEEP and cows across


rates due to infection in the autumn in sheep flocks, as well as poor retention of lambs during gestation. Pregnant ewes could also experience lambing difficulties, reduced colostrum quality and loss of body condition. North Wales, north-west


England and Scotland have been identified by NADIS as high risk areas this year. The forecast is based on high liver fluke prevalence over the summer, which has increased pasture contamination with eggs, and the mild weather experienced towards the end of 2016. There are actions that farmers


can take to reduce the risk, such as releasing housed livestock onto pasture previously cut for silage which has lower risk of egg


contamination. Vets can advise on the best


preventative action to take and on the responsible use of wormers. Liver fluke treatment is


currently being investigated by Aberystwyth University PhD student Clare Collett, who was awarded a KESS Scholarship and received funding support from HCC. She is researching the potential for a new penside diagnostic test that farmers can use on a daily basis to detect liver fluke. For further information and


advice, visit the HCC website: www.hccmpw.org.uk/farming.


Eluned Morgan


Mid & West Labour AM THIS week, I’ve been


focusing on issues of fundamental importance to Wales. The Prime Minister’s pronouncement on Tuesday in favour of a hard Brexit will wreck the Welsh economy. It will also lead to a decade of instability which will dramatically reduce public expenditure and have dire consequences for our hospitals and schools. There is also the wider threat to rural areas like ours which have received so much support from the EU for training, investment and jobs. There was no assurance from Theresa May – and I note west Wales-based Tory MPs have been especially quiet about ensuring we are properly funded in future. We should respect the result of the referendum, but there is more


than one way to leave the EU and this so far looks to be one of the most damaging ways to exit for our country. One area where we do have


an opportunity as we leave the EU is how we manage Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs). Agriculture, the backbone of our rural economy, faces very considerable challenges in the context of Brexit. Farmers will be amongst those this will hit hardest financially which means a knock- on effect on food supply and prices. I have received many comments from local farmers on NVZs in relation to Pembrokeshire. I agree with a lot of what has been shared with me, in particular around additional costs being placed on struggling farm businesses and seasonal factors. I will continue to explore these options with Welsh Government.


You may have read a lot about


the Wales Bill this week. I have spoken up for Wales in the House of Lords for the past few months to get the best deal and I supported the Wales Bill in the Assembly this week. Although it remains flawed and complex, I think this is the only deal we are likely to get in the foreseeable future. The Bill comes at a momentous time for our country - a time when our nation, our continent and the world seem more unpredictable than ever before. Although the Bill is far from ideal, it’s this or nothing. Because of our vulnerability as a nation at this point, the only responsible action is to support it. On the bright side, with the Wales Bill over, it means I will have even more time to carry on representing the views of voters across the region. It’s great to be properly home at last.


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