1 6
FUW NEWS
Dairy farmers o at Pan typ
“If these plans go ahead we will see an increase in the number ofWelsh farm holdings subject to costly and restrictive legislation from an estimated 6 0 0 to more than 2 4 ,0 0 0 .”
THE FUW milk and dairy produce committee has described Welsh Government plans to introduce a pan‐Wales ‘NVZ’ type regulations as disastrous for the sector, especially in light of Brexit uncertainty.
Speaking after the meeting on March 1 4 , FUW milk and dairy produce
committee chairman Dai Miles (pictured right) said: “We have considered the plans in detail, and delegates are outraged that the Welsh Government want to introduce such reems of restrictions, rules and paperwork.
“These plans will affect farms, especially the smaller family farms, who
carry out good practise and will incur extra cost through no fault of their own. It is painting the whole industry with the same brush when actually there is only a small minority at fault.”
Mr Miles said that as farmers were becoming increasingly aware of the
plans, anger was rising within the industry that such a draconian approach was even being considered, especially at a time when all the figures suggest Wales’ agriculture industry could be the worst affected by Brexit.
“The fact that such a draconian blanket approach is being planned goes
against the Welsh Government’s commitment in December 2 0 1 7 to strike ‘the right balance of comprehensive regulatory measures, voluntary measures and investment’ and ‘...explore further options to provide land managers with flexibility, where these would achieve the same or better outcomes than a regulatory approach,” he said.
Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths
announced the plans in a written statement in November last year, after which it became apparent that the majority of the plans had simply ‘been
cut‐and‐pasted’ the
announcement.” Mr Miles added
that the ruleswould have far‐reaching repercussions for dairy
farmers
across Wales, but could also result in a fall in Welsh
beef
production in particular due to increased costs and reductions in profitability. “If these plans go ahead we will see an increase in the number of Welsh
farm holdings subject to costly and restrictive legislation from an estimated 6 0 0 to more than 2 4 ,0 0 0 . With this in mind, our committee members support the FUW’s call for the plans to be abandoned, and for a proportionate and targeted approach based on balanced evidence to be adopted. “We take the need to tackle agricultural pollution extremely seriously, and
will continue to fight to ensure this is done in a way which is both proportionate and targeted, and reflects the local and national evidence base,” addedMrMiles.
u trag ed e reg u latio s
-Wales ‘NVZ’ n
from the Nitrate
Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) rules currently affecting just 2 .3 per cent ofWales. “The plans have, to all intents and
purposes, failed to acknowledge the 1 1 4 page report and 4 5 recommendations aimed at tackling agricultural pollution submitted by industry and government bodies six months prior to
Y TIR
FUWmember u pdate
Bo vin e TB
Co n tigu o u s Testin g
THE FUWis reminding members to make su re that they understand the ru les su rrounding contigu ou s TB testing before moving cattle.
Herds that are contigu ou s are not under restriction. However, if they are contigu ou s they will need a whole herd contigu ou s test. Two basic scenarios thenarise:
1. If the herd has ju st had a whole herd annu al test withinthe last six months thenAPHA will wait until six months have passed since the date of the whole herd test before doing the whole herd contigu ou s test.
2. The whole herd contigu ou s test will be done immediately if there has beenmore thansix months since the annu al test.
Farmers wanting to move cattle under scenario 1 will have to pay for a pre‐movement test if they cannot wait for APHA to condu ct the whole herd contigu ou s test before moving animals.
If testing canwait until APHA condu ct the contigu ou s test, then the contigu ou s test will su ffice as the pre‐movement test.
Moving cattle from contigu ou s premises withou t condu cting testing will resu lt innon‐compliance with Welsh TB testing regu lation.
International andFair Tradetheme at MontgomeryshireYFC event
ON March 6 Wales YFC chairman Dafydd Jones chaired
a YFC Farmplus
MANUFACTURER OF TIMBER BUILDINGS Timber buildings
Natural products from renewable resources. Caring for the environment.
3 BAY MONOPITCH as shown 45ft x 17ft x 10ft 6in, eaves
£5,000 + VAT delivered
Many other options available
FARMPLUS SHAY LANE, LONGRIDGE, PRESTON PR3 3BT Tel: 01772 785252
www.farmplus.co.uk
Montgomeryshire evening with an international and Fair Trade theme in Glantwymyn Community Centre. Panel speakers comprised
Ugandan Fairtrade coffee farmer Nimrod Wambette, who is the current chair ofMt Elgon
Agroforestry
Communities Cooperative and a committee member of Konokoyi Growers Coop; Llanidloes market garden owner Emma Maxwell; YFC Member, Project Coordinator & Fairtrade Representative, Ffion
Storer Jones;
Machynlleth Cooperative supermarket
customer
services manager Charlotte Mann; local farmer and Come Dine With Me TV celebrity Wil ‘Hendreseifion’ Evan and FUW head of policy Nick Fenwick. During the evening a wide issues were
range of
discussed, including the loss of young people from rural areas in Uganda and Wales, challenges affecting young farmers in the Dyfi Valley, and the impacts of climate change, including on coffee farmers in Uganda, where the previously regular rains can no longer be relied upon after seeds are planted, leading to crop failure.
From left, FUW head of policy Nick Fenwick; UgandanFairtrade coffee farmer and cu rrent chair ofMt ElgonAgroforestry Communities Cooperative Nimrod Wambette and Montgomeryshire YFCMember, Project Coordinator & Fairtrade Representative FfionStorer Jones.
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