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Farming news and views in Wales

walesfarmer.co.uk

April 2015

IN THIS ISSUE

Defra chief
calling for
cull rethink

Time to unite to
fight milk crisis

Pages 6&7

What a feast of
entertainment!

YFC news from page 14

Transfer skills
to diversify

Page 18

Subscriptions
01633 777139

Liz Truss with host farmers Derek and Matthew Evans, three-year-old Owen Evans, and Chris Davies, the Conservative
parliamentary candidate for Brecon and Radnorshire PICTURE: Debbie James

DEFRA secretary Liz Truss

says the Welsh government
should revisit the option of a
badger cull to eradicate
bovine TB in Wales.
During a pre-election visit to
Brecon and Radnorshire, Mrs
Truss listened to farmers
concerns over Wales badger
vaccination approach to disease eradication.
In response to a question
from host farmer, Derek
Evans, whose herd at The
Park, Trallong, has twice
been subject to contiguous
TB testing, the minister urged
the Welsh Government to
look at the success culling
has had in other countries.
Australia has successfully
eradicated TB through a variety of measures including
cattle movement controls and
culling, said Mrs Truss.
l See inside for full story.

Boundaries set on
fence repair bills

By Debbie James

HILL farmers could be forced

to foot the bill for repairing
hundreds of miles of forestry fences in Wales.
For decades, the Forestry
Commission and its successor, Natural Resources Wales
(NRW) has in most regions

of Wales maintained fences

which separate its woodlands from farmland.
But this policy is under
review and the responsibility could pass to farmers, because they would be obliged
to secure their livestock or
fall foul of the Animals Act
1971. Welsh Conservative
leader Andrew R T Davies

has taken up the issue on behalf of a farmer who runs a

beef and sheep enterprise in
the Coed y Cymoedd forest
district in the South Wales
Valleys.
Mr Davies said remedial
work had historically been
undertaken by the Forestry
Commission and latterly
NRW under a good neigh-

bour policy but that agreement seems to have ended.

Mr Davies said farmers
throughout Wales could be
affected.
A so-called hill farming
agreement was established
between the Forestry Commission and hill farmers
in the 1950s when the body
bought or leased land to

plant forests as pit props in

the South Wales Valleys.
Although the agreement
was not legally binding, the
Forestry Commission assumed responsibility for
maintaining the boundary
fence to stock proof level,
even if it did not own that
boundary.

l Continued on page 4

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Wales Farmer

April 2015

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Wales Farmer

April 2015

NEWS

Welsh sheep flocks

resisting wormers
A STUDY has shown a
worrying rise in resistance to wormers in Welsh
sheep flocks.
Five of 45 farms in the
Hybu Cig Cymru study,
which runs until June,
were resistant to all four
wormers tested.
Surveillance is being
carried out on the farms
by Techion UK as part of
the Wales Against Anthelmintic Resistance Development (Waard) project,
funded by the Rural Development Plan for Wales.
Faecal
egg
counts
(FECs) were carried out

on 24 farms before and

after treatment on four
wormer groups and the
percentage reduction of
worms calculated.
Three older wormer
groups 1-BZ, 2-LV and
3-ML were tested as well
as Moxidectin, a member
of the 3-ML group with
persistent action.
Only rare Moxidectin instances of resistance had
previously been recorded
but the study showed 21
per cent of farms tested
now show signs.
There was an increase
in resistance to white

drench compared with

previous survey in 2006
when 80 per cent of the
farms showed evidence
of resistance.
Lesley Stubbings, a
sheep consultant, representing Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep
(Scops), said the results
were not surprising but
the detection of Moxidectin resistance on one-infive farms was a concern.
It was a timely reminder that the industry must
act fast to maintain good
worm control on sheep
farms, she said.

Wales needs to be dynamic in a competitive global economy.

PICTURE: Debbie James. (20743894)

Have a say on
meat strategy

ALES could grow its

sales of red meat by
more than a third in
the next six years.
According to a new six-year
strategy, red-meat levy body
Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) aims
to increase Welsh beef and
lamb sales at least 34 per cent to
776million by 2020.
If this was achieved, it would
increase the industrys share
of Welsh farming output by five
per cent, to 624m.
The plan follows discussions
across the supply chain and
with the Welsh government.
HCC wants farmers and anyone with an industry in Welsh
red meat to share their views on
the strategy over the next eight
weeks.
The bodys chief executive,
Gwyn Howells, said the last
plan, launched in 2009, had led
to considerable progress in
creating a more profitable, efficient and sustainable industry.
In an increasingly competitive global marketplace, it is im-

BY DEBBIE JAMES
The Welsh red-meat industry should aim to
increase sales by at least 34% to 776m a year by
2020, according to an ambitious plan produced by
Hybu Cig Cymru Meat Promotion Wales...
portant that we continue to be
dynamic in further developing
our industry, he said.
If we are to safeguard the
long-term future of the red
meat industry and sustain the
sectors contributions towards
a thriving rural economy, then
we must embrace the latest production and processing methods to enable us to compete effectively with our rivals.
This is an ambitious plan,
but I am confident that if the
entire industry continues to
work closely together we can
meet these bold targets.
Exports of Welsh lamb and
Welsh beef are prime examples
of how successful the previous
strategic action plan has been

to improve business opportunities for farmers and processors

in Wales.
Welsh sheepmeat exports
grew from 109m to 155m between 2009 and 2013. For exports
of beef, the figure more than
doubled over the same period,
from 31m to 69m.
The new strategy aims to
boost sales by raising demand
for red-meat products and improving on-farm efficiency, by
balancing higher production
with strong environmental credentials.
The consultation will run until May 1 and can be found on
the HCC website.

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Wales Farmer

April 2015

NEWS

Talks on
key ways
to support
agriculture

NFU Cymru officeholders

met the new EU Agriculture
Commissioner, Phil Hogan,
to discuss a number of key
areas where he can help support Welsh agriculture.
NFU
Cymru
president
Stephen James used the opportunity to brief the commissioner on the importance
of food and farming to the
economy of Wales. He also
discussed with Mr Hogan the
EU agriculture policies that
have most impact on farming businesses in Wales at
this time, namely CAP implementation, dairy support and
sheep EID rules.
On CAP Mr James said:
All sectors of agriculture
in Wales have suffered at
different times over the past
12 months from significant
price volatility; this has once
again highlighted the importance of direct payments
to secure the production of
adequate supplies of food
produced to the highest food
quality and animal welfare
standards.
However, the current reform has added additional
complexity to what was already an overly bureaucratic
system.
We are pleased that the
commissioner told us he has
CAP simplification as one of
his key priorities.
On Rural Development
NFU Cymru highlighted to
Mr Hogan that the Welsh
Government was unique in
having decided to make use
of the maximum allowable
15% pillar transfer from 2014.

Constraints
could have
some effect
l Continued from page 1.

There was no national policy

agreements varied between
districts and were regarded as a postcode lottery.
In some areas, the Forestry
Commission provided the
materials and the farmer did
the work, but in others it covered all costs.
Budget constraints have
now forced a rethink and responsibility may pass to the
farmer, who would be obliged
to stock proof fields under
the Animals Act 1971.
In a statement, Mari Sibley, NRW principal surveyor,
said as NRW managed forests with a boundary of over
4000km, its first priority
must be to fence where it had
a legal obligation to do so.
After this, land managers
use their judgement to target limited resources where
most benefit may be gained,
she said.

Public told about real costs of milk

Plaid Cymrus Ceredigion parliamentary candidate Mike Parker with AM Simon Thomas on the streets of Cardigan

PLAID Cymru has taken to

the streets to talk to people
in Cardigan about the challenges facing dairy farmers.
Ceredigion parliamentary
candidate Mike Parker was
joined by local Plaid Cymru
AM Elin Jones and Mid and
West regional AM Simon
Thomas to talk to shoppers
about the price of milk.
Plaid carried out a survey,
asking people how much
they paid for a litre of milk,
and how much they believed
farmers were paid.
On average, people in Cardigan believed that milk cost
about 84p a litre. In fact, some
stores sell milk at less than
50p a litre, making the product a loss leader to attract
shoppers. People, on average
guessed that dairy farmers
were paid about 33p a litre.
Recent price falls, in reality
many farmers receive less
than 25p.
Mr Parker said: There are
global factors at work, in
South Ceredigion, who are
having a really tough time
because of factors outside
their control. We need to see
the dairy industry brought
under the control of the Groceries Code Adjudicator.

Unions: Budget brings

good news for farmers

FU Cymru says the

Chancellors
decision to allow farmers and growers to
average their incomes over
five years a key NFU Cymru election manifesto ask
will go some way to allowing them to manage market
volatility and focus more on
investment and growth.
John Davies, NFU Cymru
deputy president, said: We
are pleased Mr Osborne listened to the union and will
allow farmers to average incomes over five years.
As he mentioned in his
speech, farmers are increasingly facing a volatile marketplace and this will enable
them to manage the impacts.
News that the annual investment allowance will be
addressed in his Autumn
Statement is also welcome.
As he mentions, 25,000 is
not an acceptable level which
would encourage investment
and we await further announcements with interest
While we appreciate the
need to roll out ultra-fast
broadband throughout the
UK, we must not forget there
are rural communities who
have yet to reap the benefits
of a decent speed for broadband and might only be able

BUDGET REACTION
The farming unions have welcomed the Budget announcement which
extends the period over which self-employed farmers can average their
profits for income tax purposes from two years to five years...

The unions
were also
pleased
to see no
further
increases in
fuel duty
to access very basic broadband services.
For rural dwellers, access
to their own form of transport is essential but in many
deep rural areas in Wales
residents are already paying
significantly higher than average prices for their fuel.
In addition the cost of fuel
is a significant additional extra expense in terms of getting produce to market and

inputs in to such areas.

The announcement that
fuel duty will not rise this
year is therefore welcome.
The Farmers Union of
Wales also welcomed the
Chancellors announcement
that farmers will be allowed
to average their earnings
over five years.
Being able to average your
earnings will smooth the potential wide variations from

year to year and allow for

better tax planning in the
farming industry, said FUW
director of finance David
Parker. Farmers are often
subjected to fluctuating market prices.
The weather and disease
outbreaks are also not to
be underestimated when it
comes down to how much
each farmer earns.
Mr Parker added: The pre-

vious provision of averaging your earnings has been

extended from two to five
years and for this we must
congratulate the Chancellor
as it will prove immensely
helpful to the industry.
The union was also pleased
to see no further increases in
fuel duty.
An increase in fuel duty
would have had a direct
impact on the cost of production at a time when the
country needs business to
flourish, said Mr Parker.
Stephen Crabb, Secretary of State for Wales, said
the action to help farmers
spread their tax payments in
the face of serious pressures
on agriculture was positive.
The Conservative MP for
Preseli Pembrokeshire said:
This step to make it easier
for farmers to pay tax will
help with the strain on their
businesses.
It is a key measure that we
have been asked to introduce
by farming unions.
In the last six months I
have held several meetings
with both farmers and unions, and have called on my
ministerial colleagues to focus on what we can all do to
stabilise the future of Welsh
farming.

Wales Farmer

April 2015

NEWS

The new E4660

turbine. Longer
blades make short
work of energy
production.

Steve Hughson and Aled Jones of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society trying out the course under the watchful eye of
Steve Brace from Run 4 Wales

Festival races to put running in its lineup

THE Royal Welsh Spring
Festival is set to host a new
Trail Running Festival as
part of its events on May 17.
The Royal Welsh Trail Running Festival brings a halfmarathon, 10k and 3k family
trail races to the Royal Welsh
Showground in Llanelwedd.

The festival sees the marriage of two of Wales leading event brands, the RWAS
and Run 4 Wales, the team
behind events including the
Cardiff Half Marathon.
Steve Hughson, Chief Executive of the Royal Welsh
Agricultural Society, said:

With such a fantastic venue, located in the heart of

mid Wales, we have always
planned to extend the types
of events and activities on
offer here at the Royal Welsh
Showground.
Aled
Jones,
Assistant
Chief Executive of the Royal

Welsh Agricultural Society,

said: With the permission
of our local landowners, the
new Trail Running Festival course takes in a scenic
route through farmland and
woods and provides views
overlooking the iconic showground and countryside.

Livestock haulier
is disqualified

A RUTHIN livestock haulier

has been disqualified from
running HGVs indefinitely
after admitting that he falsified his driving records to
use a vehicle that he was not
licensed to drive.
John Roberts created false
tachograph records using
the names of drivers he had
employed, to cover the fact
he was only allowed to drive
vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes.
Mr Roberts had purchased
a 13 tonne vehicle to use on
his licence and subsequently
drove it himself. He operated
the vehicle illegally because

he did not have authority on

his operators licence to run
a second vehicle.
John Roberts initially denied that he had falsified any
records but later pleaded
guilty to falsification offences brought before the Magistrates Court.
At a public inquiry last
month, the Traffic Commissioner, Nick Jones, found
drivers employed by Mr
Roberts had not been responsible for any of the false records, including those not
considered by the court.
He added that initial ac-

tions of Mr Roberts, including responses he gave to

investigators, could have
resulted in drivers coming
before the Traffic Commissioner when they were innocent of any wrongdoing.
Mr Roberts did not attend
the inquiry to give evidence.
In a written decision issued
after the hearing, Mr Jones
said the fact that innocent
people were investigated and
potentially harmed made
this a bad case.
Mr Roberts had claimed
that the offences were isolated and that there had

been no financial gain from

the offending, but the Traffic
Commissioner rejected both
arguments.
Compliant
businesses
have lost work due to John
Roberts and due to this and
the other aggravating features it is proportionate he
be disqualified indefinitely.
The Traffic Commissioner
also made an order to disqualify the operators transport manager, John Evans,
for six months. Mr Evans
resigned from his post after investigations into John
Roberts were completed.

Boss to put firm back on track

First Milk appoints Mike

Gallacher chief executive

DAIRY business First Milk

has appointed Mike Gallacher as its new chief executive.
He replaces Kate Allum and
started his job on March 18.
Mr Gallacher has spent
most of his career with Mars
Inc. where he held a series of
senior leadership positions,
most recently as UK Managing Director for Mars Petcare. He led business turna-

rounds in Asia for Mars as

well as working in regional
leadership positions in both
Asia Pacific and Europe.
First Milk chairman Sir
Jim Paice MP said: Mike
has all the attributes to put
our business back where we
want it to be. He has considerable leadership qualities,
has turned around businesses in different geographies,

and has experience in key

export markets. He demonstrated throughout the interview process that he has
rapidly built high performing teams and organisations
throughout his career.
On behalf of the Board I
would like to thank Kate Allum for her leadership over
the last six years and wish
her well for the future.

The Endurance E4660 boasts a larger rotor

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production* and lowers the cost of energy,
making even modest wind sites an excellent
investment. The longer blades also create
a greater swept area making the E4660
significantly quieter.

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2015

*When comparing Annual Energy Production

engineering estimates for wind speeds over 5 m/s.

Power to the farmer

Wales Farmer

April 2015

WELSH DAIRYCO CONFERENCE

Mega-dairy farmer calls for

unity in time of milk crisis
RIGHT DIRECTION
Dairy farmers were
pleased to hear that
the public mood
is moving in their
favour as they met
at a major DairyCo
conference.
DEBBIE JAMES
reports.

HE milk price crisis

has highlighted the
need for dairy farmers
to unite as one voice,
whatever their scale and system, according to one Welsh
milk producer.
Fraser Jones, who fought
for six years to secure planning permission for a 1,000cow dairy in Powys, insists
there is no right or wrong
type of system.
It is great that we have
different farming systems
and farm sizes in the UK, it
is important we celebrate
all types, Mr Jones told the
DairyCo Welsh Conference
in Aberystwyth.
We must be proud of our
industry and shout about it.
Nuffield scholar and PR
consultant Amy Jackson,
another speaker at the conference, shared his message.
Dont knock others, she
urged.
Ms Jackson had investigated whether the public could
learn to love the mega-dairy.
She believed farmers could
learn from companies such
as
Gressingham
Foods,
which had a policy of engaging with the local community
ahead of any new development.
It also pre-empted future

Speakers and DairyCo board members at the DairyCo Welsh Conference. PICTURE: Debbie James
development by ensuring
good landscaping was in
place before an application
was submitted.
And yet she also discovered
that there was a big demand
for small farm products.
There is a nostalgia for

brands from family farms,

there is a real opportunity to
add value.
In fact, one speaker believed
Wales milk industry could
match the success of the lucrative branded bottle water
sector.

Volvic and Evian produce 24

per cent of all bottled water
sold in the UK, even though
their price tag is double that
of unbranded alternatives.
Ed Garner, communications
director at Kantar Worldpanel, told the conference that the

Huw Ellis
says mentors
had inspired
and guided
him to carve
out a career
in farming.
PICTURE:
Debbie
James

milk industry could learn

from these brands.
Milk is cheaper than
branded water but not
cheaper than unbranded water. We need to take the same
approach with our milk, to
add value, he said.
Mr Garner warned that supermarket price wars would
remain a threat for milk
because retailers regarding
it as the ideal loss leader
heavy and perishable, which
therefore limited volume
sales.
Retail turmoil is irrevers-

ibly changing the landscape

and milk is caught in the
crossfire, he said.
But consumers were becoming more sympathetic to
the cause of dairy farmers,
largely driven by a warming effect resulting from
high profile media coverage
of the milk price crisis.
When farming is in the
mainstream press we see a
spike in interest, a warming
effect. The public are more
likely to think that dairy
farmers are doing a good
job, said Amanda Ball.

It is great that
we have different
farming systems
and farm sizes . . .
We must be proud
of our industry and
shout about it
Fraser Jones

Wales Farmer

April 2015

WELSH DAIRYCO CONFERENCE

The argument
for wind turbines
is now even
more powerful

Fraser Jones says there is no right or wrong system type for milk production. PICTURE: Debbie James

Second 1,000-cow dairy in the pipeline

THE farmer behind the controversial mega dairy in
Powys is to create a second
1,000-cow unit.
Fraser Jones, who has
started work on creating the
new dairy at Lower Leighton
Farm, says his aim is to create two large units.
He currently milks 1,000
cows at three sites but will
increase numbers and consolidate the set-up at two of
these.
We will have two dairies
instead of three, two 1,000
cow units, Mr Jones told the

DairyCo Welsh Conference.

Mr Jones says planning
constraints are making the
process of creating the new
dairy at Lower Leighton
Farm challenging.
It is a continual struggle
as we are building it but we
will get there in the end, he
said.
Mr Jones believed a fear
of the unknown, driven by
a minority, was a reason for
the vociferous campaign
against his development.
He said: There were only
13 letters of objection in a

community with 250 on the

electoral role but the minority shout loudly.
Mr Jones insisted the objectors were retired people
with plenty of time to further their cause.
He said his policy had always been to be open and
honest about the planned development.
I wanted my application
to come from the heart and
I therefore put everything
in the public domain, said
Mr Jones.
I was aware that the site

I was trying to build on was

very sensitive.
It was close to a primary
school and the local community but by being open and
honest I felt I could defend
my plans with confidence.
I wanted there to be constructive debate and conversation to provide people with
the opportunity to put their
points forward.
One of the steps he had
taken to engage with the
community was to offer to
donate land for the creation
of tennis courts, he said.

Innovation key to
dairy sector AM
PRIORITY must be given to
high value exports and to
building brands for milk and
dairy products, according to
Wales Deputy Minister for
Farming and Food.
Rebecca Evans AM opened
the DairyCo Welsh Conference by telling farmers that
she is confident of a positive
and secure future for dairy
farming in Wales.
But more knowledge transfer and innovation was needed to further modernise and
professionalise the industry,
she added.
Conference
chairman
Gwyn Jones shared her vision of innovation as a key
area for improvement.
He said it took too long for
new ideas and innovation to
be implemented on farms.
That cant be the case in

the future, said Mr Jones,

the DairyCo Board chairman.
We are not taking on new
ideas speedily enough and
agriculture in this country
is falling behind. We need to
address that.
One man who has adapted
to seize new opportunities is
Oswestry dairy farmer Huw
Ellis.
He came from a non-farming background but is now
farming 600 acres and milking 280 cows.
He extolled the virtues of
having mentors who had inspired and guided him.
I consider myself lucky to
have met some inspirational
people and to have embarked
on the career of my choice,
said Mr Ellis, a speaker at
the conference.

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Power to the farmer

Pressing for modernisation, Rebecca Evans

Wales Farmer

April 2015

NEWS

Defra secretary says Wales

should revisit badger cull

EFRA secretary Liz

Truss says the Welsh
Government should
revisit the option of
a badger cull to eradicate bovine TB in Wales.
During a pre-election visit
to the livestock dense region
of Brecon and Radnorshire,
Mrs Truss listened to farmers concerns over Wales
badger vaccination approach
to disease eradication.
In response to a question
from host farmer Derek Evans, whose herd at The Park,
Trallong, has twice been subject to contiguous TB testing,
the minister urged the Welsh
Government to look at the
success wildlife culling has
had in other countries.
Australia has successfully
eradicated TB and that was
achieved through a variety
of measures including cattle
movement controls and culling, said Mrs Truss.
In New Zealand and Ireland, culling is part of the
overall TB eradication programme.

BY DEBBIE JAMES
DEFRA secretary Liz Truss visited Brecon and
Radnorshire and heard farmers concerns
over Wales badger vaccination approach to
disease eradication...

Dealing with the disease

in those countries has involved culling in the wildlife
population.
The minister agreed that
vaccination did have a part
of play but that it could not
be effective in dealing with
TB in disease hotspots.
Vaccination does have a
role to play which is why in
England we are vaccinating in the edge zones but
you cant vaccinate diseased
animals in areas where TB is
rife, she said.
This disease was allowed
to grow for too long and now
we have to go all out to deal
with it.
All the evidence shows
that to deal with disease you
do need to deal with it in the

wildlife population.
If you dont nip these
things in the bud they get
more difficult to deal with.
The minister sympathised
with farmers on the continuing uncertainty surrounding Wales Basic Payment
Scheme.
Although it has been suggested that an indicative payment of 129/ha is likely if a
flat-rate payment proposal is
adopted, the situation is still
unclear.
We will do what we can to
assist but ultimately it is a
decision of the Welsh government, said Mrs Truss.

l Report dead badger sightings, FUW urges page 11.

Livestock farmer Derek Evans, pictured with Liz Truss, has twice been subject to contiguous
TB testing. PICTURE: Debbie James

Scheme leader stays

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DEPUTY Minister for

Farming and Food, Rebecca Evans has announced that Peredur
Hughes has been reappointed as chairman of
the Wales Animal Health
and Welfare Framework
Group. The appointment
will run from April 7,
2015 to May 31, 2018.
Last July, the Welsh
Government
launched
its Wales Animal Health
and Welfare Framework
which set out its 10-year
vision to improve standards of animal health
and welfare in Wales. Its
development and implementation is supported

by a Framework Group
of appointed panel members, who come from a
range of backgrounds.
Anglesey Farmer, Peredur Hughes, has already
completed a successful
first year in this role and
brings extensive experience to the role. He was
former chairman of the
Animal Health and Welfare Strategy Steering
Group, the North Wales
Regional TB Eradication
Board and former president of NFU Cymru.
Rebecca Evans said: I
am pleased to announce
Mr Hughes reappointment as chairman to the

Wales Animal Health

and Welfare Framework
Group. He has had a long
and distinguished career
in farming and will continue to bring a wealth of
experience to his role. I
look forward to working
with him in the future.
One of the roles of the
group is to ensure that
the views of livestock
keepers, animal owners
and the veterinary profession are reflected in
the 10-year framework
that seeks to improve animal health and welfare
standards and increase
partnership
working
with animal keepers.

Points will mean prizes for

cattle exhibitors at shows

A NEW competition for

cattle exhibitors at the
Eglwysbach,
Llanrwst
and
Cerrigydrudion
shows has been launched
thanks to a sponsorship
deal by Llanrwst NFU
Cymru Office.
With a top prize of 300
the new competition, Y
Gorau o Dri The Best of
Three is open to all pure
bred cattle, exhibited at

all three shows, where

points will be awarded
for the top four places,
with the winner and two
runners-up being announced at Cerrigydrudion Show on Saturday,
September 5.
Sioned Lloyd, Llanrwst
NFU Cymru group secretary said: These three
shows are the heart and
soul of the agri-commu-

nity in North Wales, and

NFU Cymru is the heart
of Welsh farming, so
were delighted to sponsor this years new competition, Y Gorau o Dri
The Best of Three.
There is no need to preregister for the competition but anyone requiring further information
can contact Ifor Jones on
01490 420332.

Wales Farmer

April 2015

NEWS

You dont have

to own a whole
turbine to make
money from it

Thirty six per cent of all new calf registrations in Wales were Limousins.
PICTURE: Debbie James

Calf registrations have increased by 2%

WELSH calf registrations
were up by 2 per cent last
year compared to the same
period in 2013.
Figures compiled by the
British Cattle Movement
Survey (BCMS) show that
the increase brought the total to 227,700 calves.

Limousin and Limousin

crosses were the most registered breed accounting for 36
per cent of the total number
of calf registrations.
The BCMS statistics revealed that much of the
growth in calf registrations
occurred during the second

half of 2014, increasing by

five per cent in comparison
with the same period the previous year.
This means that we are
likely to see an increase in
Welsh beef production during 2016 when these animals
go for slaughter, said Char-

lotte Morris, industry information officer with Hybu

Cig Cymru (HCC).
The figures possibly indicate that some of the farmers may be moving towards
the summer-autumn calving
because of the better weather conditions.

U-turn on funding
for young farmers

ONLY weeks after the Welsh

Government was criticised
for cutting a major funding
lifeline to Wales YFC, it has
agreed to pay an 88,600 support package.
The rural youth movement
was facing a shortfall after
losing 140,000 in grant aid,
which included 120,000
from the Welsh Government.
But the government has
now agreed to award 88,600
of transitional funding
while the organisation develops a five-year business plan.
The one-off grant comes after it was agreed that Wales

YFC needed to adopt a new

business model.
Wales deputy minister for
farming and food Rebecca
Evans, who announced the
funding package on Tuesday,
March 3, said the industry
required constant renewal,
fresh blood and fresh ideas.
I am determined to see
young, talented and wellqualified people develop to
head up farm businesses and
become the leaders of tomorrow within Welsh agriculture, she said.
Wales YFC chief executive
Nia Lloyd said the organisa-

tion now looked forward to

working with officials to implement the programme.
Clearly, the quality and
value of services provided
by the YFC across Wales is
appreciated and acknowledged and funding those
services in the long term is a
challenge, she said.
Among those who had lobbied for a U-turn was Welsh
Liberal Democrat leader
Kirsty Williams.
Losing what little core
funding YFC has wouldve
been devastating for an organisation that relies on vol-

unteers, she said.

The nature of YFC and
its integral part of the farming community means it can
reach areas that statutory local authority schemes never
could. Thats why it was vital
to retain this funding.
Plaid shadow agriculture
minister Llyr Gruffydd said
the new strategy could be an
opportunity for the YFC to
deliver government services
in rural Wales, a model that
exists in New Zealand.

Pure Welsh cream will be

available in Asda stores

its Welsh farms, before it is

processed and packaged at
Tomlinsons Dairies, a family-owned dairy company
based in Minera, Wrexham.
There will be Welsh language on the cartons and
Asda will also sell Welsh
milk, butter and cheddar.
Rick Banks, Asdas senior
buying manager for Wales,
said: Asda is committed to

Call 01454 633 323

for more information or visit

www.aeoluspower.co.uk

l For news and photos from

the Wales YFC Entertainment
Feast, turn to page 14.

Welsh items to hit the shelves

WELSH customers can enjoy
authentic Welsh cream from
their local Asda store, with
the retailer being the first
major supermarket to offer
its own brand of authentic
Welsh cream produced and
packaged in the country in
all of its Welsh stores.
In support of the Welsh
dairy industry, Arla will supply the product from cows at

Aeolus Partnerships offer a number of ways

to reduce your energy costs for minimal or
no outlay. Our flexible ownership schemes
allow you to part-purchase a turbine or
you can obtain a rent for having a turbine
installed on your land.

supporting the local dairy

farmers.
Were proud to champion
Welsh produce, and while
other supermarkets may label their cream Welsh, Asda
is the first to sell cream produced and packed in Wales.
Asda has about 61 Welsh
suppliers and stocks over
350 local lines across its 35
Welsh stores.

APPROVED SUPPLIER

2014

Partnerships

Power to the farmer

10

Wales Farmer

April 2015

ANIMAL HEALTH

Spring guide to worming

HEALTH ADVICE
Sally Harmer, animal health
manager for Clynderwen
and Cardiganshire Farmers,
discusses the question of
worming sheep at lambing time

T
lambing
time
there is a hormonal change in ewes
which means worms
carried by the ewe become
much more active.
Because of this there can
be a significant benefit in
worming ewes at lambing
because of the potential reduction in egg output. But it
is recommended that 10-20%
of all ewes are not treated, as
this should slow the development of wormer resistance
without increasing the risk
of disease.
The best ewes to leave untreated are healthy ewes in
good condition that have had
a single lamb. Drench ewes at
or shortly after lambing for
the best results.

Lambs

As soon as a lamb starts

grazing it will start picking

up worms if they are present
on the pasture. With fresh
lays and in cold or dry weather there will be few worms
present.
Just a few worms are unlikely to cause a problem
but unfortunately a few can
become a lot very quickly
should the weather and pasture conditions be favourable. Speak to your animal
health supplier about your
farm situation and they can
help to put together a dosing
plan.
There is also the potential
complication of nematodirus and coccidiosis if the
weather conditions are right.
For more information on the
current Nematodirus situation in the UK have on this
site: http://www.scops.org.
uk/news

What about fluke?

If the farm is wet, or the

ewes have not been treated
for some time then it could
be prudent to give the ewes
a fluke dose in the spring as
it has been very mild this
winter. Because of the time
of year and the likelihood
that a lot more of the fluke is
mature then there is far more
product choice so speak to
your animal health supplier
about the product options
available.

Anthelmintic resistance

According to the latest

survey ((Source: AHDA and
SCOPS) wormer and flukicide resistance is on the rise
in Wales, so knowing your
farms status is crucial to effective worm control.
Here are seven top tips to effective worm control.
1. Check the weight Millions of pounds worth of
wormers are wasted every
year because farmers under-

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Better rumen
health and feed
utilisation

estimate the weight of sheep.

This speeds up the development of resistance due to underdosing.
2. Quarantine Resistance to
anthelmintics can be brought
in with purchased sheep. The
correct quarantine treatments are essential for all
in-coming sheep to remove
resistant worms.
3. Adult sheep Mature sheep
that are fit and healthy have
immunity to most worms
which means that the times

when adult sheep need to be

wormed are very limited.
4. Use FECs You can check
if you have resistance on
your farm simply and cheaply by taking dung samples
for faecal egg counts (FEC)
pre- and post-drenching. Talk
to your vet or your local supplier for more information.
5. Timing Most farmers who
use FECs to monitor worm
burdens use less anthelmintic without any loss in flock
performance. In many cases,
lambs actually do better because they are treated at the
right time.
6. Know your parasites If
you know which internal
parasites you have on the
farm, you can target them
more effectively and with the
most appropriate product.
This significantly reduces
the chances of developing resistance.
7. Pasture management
Drenching sheep and then
putting them straight on to
clean pasture increases the
risk of anthelmintic resistance developing on your
farm. Delaying the move, or
leaving some sheep untreated, will reduce this risk.

Wales Farmer

April 2015

Report dead
badgers call

NEWS

Red meat industry goes viral

A NEW website aimed at trade

professionals with an interest in
Wales red meat industry is live.
The website hcctrade.com/
was produced following calls for
a separate platform for importers, exporters, multiple retailers, butchers and the foodservice
sector to obtain information and
assistance thats relevant to their
businesses.
Created by Hybu Cig Cymru

Meat Promotion Wales (HCC)

it includes an introduction to
Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef as
well as the Protected Geographical Indication status.
There is a section for multiple
retailers and high street butchers who work within the home
market, as well as information
for the foodservice sector.
Butchers and restaurateurs
who are keen to become mem-

Every bite
counts
Get more from forage

bers of HCCs Butchers Club

and Welsh Lamb Club can also
download the application forms
from the website.
As HCC is active in many markets across the world, a page has
also been created for exporters
and importers.
This information is available in
English as well as four other languages French, German, Italian
and Norwegian.

Rumen specific live

yeast reduces acid loading and
increases fibre digestibility,
which improves feed efficiency
ensuring more milk from the
same forage.

The FUW is urging farmers and members of the public to report badgers killed
by vehicles to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

By Farmer reporter
AS THE warmer spring weather leads
to a marked increase in badger activity, the Farmers Union of Wales (FUW)
is urging farmers and members of the
public to report badgers killed by vehicles.
They should report incidents to
the Animal and Plant Health Agency
(APHA), so they can be tested for bovine TB.
Badgers are relatively inactive over
the winter but as spring arrives and
the weather heats up, there is a step
change in their patterns of activity
and foraging.
This means they are far more likely
to be hit by vehicles, said FUW TB
spokesman Brian Walters.
Mr Walters said testing badgers
killed by vehicles contributed important information to our understanding
of where badger populations are likely
to be passing disease on to other animals.
Last year almost two-million cattle
TB tests were carried out in Wales, yet
only a handful of badgers were tested
for the disease.

Identifying the presence or absence

of disease in local badger populations
can help inform policies which help
eradicate the disease, added Mr Walters.
However, Mr Walters acknowledged
that finding the time to report dead
badgers would be difficult for farmers, given the fact that many would be
working around the clock, particularly
those who are lambing.
The number of dead badgers people
are likely to see on roads will rise significantly over the coming weeks.
Therefore I would urge anyone who
sees a dead badger to try and find the
time to contact APHA, by calling 0300
303 8268.
Mr Walters also warned that dead
badgers should not be approached or
handled, and pets should not be allowed to come into contact with carcasses as they could then be infected
with dangerous pathogens, including
TB.
Further information about the Welsh
Governments Found Dead survey
can be found by visiting:
wales.gov.uk/topics/environment
countryside/ahw/disease/bovinetu
berculosis/intensive-action-area/
badger-found-dead-survey/?lang=en

Ask BIOTAL how much extra money you can

make today through improved feed efficiency

Enthusiasts in finals

FOUR young cattle breeding enthusiasts from all over the UK have seen off
the competition to become finalists in
Cogents Futures Programme 2015.
The Futures Programme offers participants an insight into the life of
a Sire Analyst. As part of the competition, finalists Carys Jones from
Monmouthshire, Tom Hull from Lancashire, Andrew Patterson from Northern Ireland and Scott McLean from
Northern Ireland will visit a range of
dairy herds across the UK and match

suitable sires to potential bull mothers.

Their suggested matings will be presented to Cogents Genetics Committee, with the highest scoring candidate
receiving an elite embryo package and
the chance for their resulting bull to
enter the Cogent stud under their own
prefix.
In addition, the overall winner and
runner-up will be taken on an all-inclusive trip to Holland to attend the Tulip
Sale and HHH show to gain an insight
into the latest breeding strategies.

11

Contact your local Biotal distributor or Biotal Regional Business Manager

Gareth Jones
07866 315684

delivering forage and nutrition technologies

Biotal tel: 0800 7310005 www.biotal.co.uk
part of

part of

12

Wales Farmer

April 2015

OPINIONS
DIARY DATES
APRIL

April 18: Wales YFC Field

Day, Welshpool Market.
April 25: Barley Saturday,
Cardigan. Annual parade of
stallions and vintage vehicles
through the town of
Cardigan. Show starts
11.30am at Ysgol Uwchradd
Aberteifi. Parade from 2pm.
April 25-26: Wonderwool
Wales, Royal Welsh
Showground, Llanelwedd,
Builth Wells, Powys, LD2
3SY: www.wonderwoolwales.
co.uk

MAY

May 16-17: Royal Welsh

Spring Festival, Royal Welsh
Showground, Llanelwedd,
Builth Wells, Powys, LD2
3SY: www.rwas.co.uk/springfestival
May 19: NSA Welsh Sheep,
Glanmiheli and Drefor farms,
Kerry, Newtown, Powys,
SY16 4LN: www.welshsheep.
org.uk
May 23: St Clears Show,
United Counties
Showground, Carmarthen,
SA33 5DR: www.stclearsyfcshow.co.uk
May 27-30: Royal Bath &
West Show, The
Showground, Shepton
Mallet, Somerset, BA4 6QN:
www.bathandwest.com/royal-bath-west/97/
May 30: Cothi Bridge Show:
www.cothibridgeshow.co.uk

Complaints

Who to contact
Wales Farmer adheres to the
Editors Code of Practice
(which you can find www.ipso.
co.uk). We are regulated by the
Independent Press Standards
Organisation.
Complaints about stories
should be referred firstly to the
Editor by email at: complaints@
walesfarmer.co.uk or by post at
Wales Farmer, newsroom,
Western Tangiers, Fishguard
Road, Haverfordwest, SA62
4BU.
It is essential that your email or
letter is headed Complaint in
the subject line and contains
the following information:
Your name, email address,
postal address and daytime
telephone number.
The newspaper title or
website, preferably a copy of
the story or at least the date,
page number or website
address of the article and any
headline.
A full explanation of your
complaint by reference to the
Editors Code.
If you do not provide any of the
information above this may
delay or prevent us dealing with
your complaint. Your personal
details will only be used for
administration purposes.
If we cannot reach a resolution
between us then you can
contact IPSO by email at
complaints@ipso.co.uk or by
post at IPSO, c/o Halton House,
20-23 Holborn, London EC1N
2JD.
If complaining about third party
comments on our website
articles, you should use the
report this post function
online next to the comment.

Sober home truths behind

an everyday tale of G&T
By Debbie James
THIS week I found
myself caught up in a
dispute over prices
between Tesco and
Coca-Cola Enterprises.
It happened in the
drinks aisle at my local
Tesco store.
I was there in search
of tonic water but the
shelf was bare of
Schweppes. There was
not a bottle to be had.
I later discovered that
Tesco had removed the

product from its

shelves because it has
fallen out with CocaCola over the price to

charge consumers for

its drinks.
Tesco wants Coca
Cola to accept a lower
margin so it can charge
consumers less.
I wont lose sleep over
any dent this might
create in Coca Colas
profits but it highlights
a situation more
serious for farmer
suppliers who dont
exert the power of a
global corporation.
With discounting a
major theme as

supermarkets compete
for market share,
farmers must accept
increasingly lower
prices so that
supermarkets can pass
on savings without
sacrificing their own
margin.
Major retailers believe
falling commodity
prices should mean
cheaper products but
for farmers inputs costs
have not fallen.
Fertiliser, machinery
and labour costs have

stayed the same or are

more expensive.
Farmers are
struggling and are
caught in the crossfire
of supermarket price
wars.
What would it mean
for consumers if the
supermarket shelves
were bare of British
farm produce?
Most of us can live
without a gin and tonic
but dairy products,
bread, meat,
vegetables and fruit?

Fair prices are not just an obstacle in the UK

WALES FARMER CONTACTS

HALLENGES that farmers

in the UK face are not so
different to those faced by
farmers in Malawi, a delegation
of FUW officials have heard.
Visiting a Welsh organic arable and dairy farm, Allan
Saidi a sugar farmer from
Malawi told FUW president
Emyr Jones that the challenges of trying to achieve a
fair price for their produce in
order to provide a brighter future for their children are just
the same in Africa as they are
here in Wales.
The delegation was joined by
the deputy minister for farming and food, Rebecca Evans,
as they explored FUW Ceredigion county chairman Aled

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

Farmer editor:
Rhiannon
Llewellin

Rees150-acre organic dairy

farm at Trefere Fawr, Penparc,
Cardigan.
The deputy minister said: It

was a pleasure to meet Allan

and hear about how Fairtrade
is transforming lives in Malawi.

info@debbiejames
media.com
Advertising:
Aaron Byrne
01437 761798
aaron.byrne@
walesfarmer.co.uk

News:
Lisa Soar
01437 761759
wfeditor@
walesfarmer.co.uk

Publisher:
Dean Merrick
dean.merrick@
walesfarmer.co.uk

Reporter: Debbie
James
01646 661395

WEBSITE:
walesfarmer.co.uk

PROJECT PLANNING

Plans must consider impact on protected species

HEN undertaking
a
development
project,
people
new to the process often fail to understand
the potential impact of protected species. Protected species include a range of animals, fish and invertebrates
which have special protection by EU and UK Statute.
Some common examples in
Wales include; bats, owls,
dormice, newts and badgers.
Due consideration has to be
given (and appropriate surveys undertaken) to ensure
any development does not
negatively impact on these
protected species. Surveys
need to be undertaken by an
appropriately qualified person to ensure the survey is
accurate and does not potentially disturb any inhabiting
creatures. Special licences

Wayne Reynolds,
Director of Atriarc
Planning, offers an
overview of project
planning and issues
around ecological
survey windows...
are also required to carry
out some surveys, for example, Great Crested Newts or
Bat surveys. Failure to apply for such licences can result in prosecution if nests,
roosts or similar grounds
are disturbed. The licensing
process in Wales is now covered by Natural Resources

Wales however many of the

application forms and guidance leaflets are still available via the Countryside
Council for Waless website.
General advice is also often
available from Local Authority ecology officers.
The survey window for protected species varies depend-

ing on the type of protected

species and the time of year.
For example, the critical survey window for bats occurs
between April and October.
Roost surveys are potentially available from November
to March. However, the level
of survey accuracy is often
seen as reduced. If follow-up
surveys are recommended
outside the typical survey
window, this can result in
timely delays when looking
to submit a planning application.
When planning a development project it is therefore
always advisable to engage
the services of qualified professional at an early stage, to
ensure any required surveys
can be factored in to a development timeframe. This
can avoid any unnecessary
delay at planning stages and

inform potential build programs a must to keep costs

within budget.
If protected species are
found, mitigating measures
may also be required to
ensure they are protected
from any development. This
may include undertaking
projects at certain times of
year, relocating buildings,
or providing new areas for
species to inhabit. For example in the case of bats;
new outbuildings with accessible roof crevices could
be required by a planning
condition. This type of work
is often required prior to
commencing the main build
project which can impact on
project costs.
For further advice or assistance contact Wayne Reynolds on 01994 220 667 or email
wayne@atriarcgroup.com.

bestadvice@downland.co.uk

www.downland.co.uk

Contact your local Downland distributor or telephone 01228 564498

FROM DOWNLAND - WHY WOULD YOU FEED ANYTHING ELSE

ITS LIKE MOTHERS MILK

LAMB FORCE
is made with ewes
milk, unlike most
lamb milk replacers
that only use cows
milk. Which would
ewe prefer?

April 2015
Wales Farmer
13

14

Wales Farmer

April 2015

YFC FEAST

Young talent on display as Troedrhiwdalar YFC, Brecknock,

take to the stage

Aberedw YFC, Radnor during their winning performance in the English pantomime category

A new competition, the Fashion Make & Model, saw Betsan

Jones from Carmarthenshire being awarded first place. She
is pictured with Helen Humphreys, of Coleg Sir Gr

Carwyn Jones, Best Actor in the Welsh category with Brian

Walters, FUW Vice President

In the Commercial Dance competition Maendy YFC,

Glamorgan, were awarded first place

Star performers
in feast of talent

OUNG people representing Young Farmers Clubs from all

over Wales gave audiences a spectacular showcase of YFC talent during the
Wales YFC Entertainment
Feast weekend, which hosted
both the English and Welsh
Pantomime competition held
at the Grand Theatre, Swansea.
The event gave members
the opportunity to perform
on a professional stage, with
modern facilities and with
assistance from experienced
stage managers.
Thirteen clubs representing 10 different county federations throughout Wales
took part in the weekend, six
in the Welsh competition and
seven in the English competition and each one eager to
clinch trophies for their trophy cabinet.
Gillian Elisa was tasked
with the difficult job of judging the Welsh section where
the Bryn Teifi trophy and a
FUW Welsh Royal Crystal
Trophy was awarded to Hermon YFC, Pembrokeshire
for their Pantomime entitled
Helynt Hari. The best actor
award was awarded to Carwyn Jones, Penybont YFC,
Carmarthenshire and the
best actress was Ffion Phillips from Hermon YFC. In
the Welsh section the Paul
Elkington Productions trophy was awarded to Hermon
YFC.
English judge Brian Sullivan awarded Aberedw YFC,

As well as winning the Junior Member of the Year, Ffion Phillips, from Hermon YFC, also won
the best actress award in the Welsh pantomime competition
Radnor and their Pantomime
entitled The Magic Bone the
EGH Trumper Trophy and
a FUW Welsh Royal Crystal
Trophy for the best English
Pantomime staged.
Joshua Bennett from Llysyfran YFC, Pembrokeshire
was awarded the best actor
title in the English section
and Angharad Edwards, also
from Llysyfran YFC, took the
best actress title. The Paul Elkington Productions trophy
for best technical achieve-

ment was awarded to Llysyfran YFC.

The best actor and actresses in the Welsh and English
section were awarded with a
Welsh Royal Crystal Trophy
kindly donated by FUW.
The event was sponsored by
Coleg Sir Gr.
A new competition, the
Fashion Make & Model,
saw Betsan Jones from
Carmarthenshire
being
awarded first place.
Also taking place at the En-

tertainment Feast was the

Commercial Dance competition where Maendy YFC,
Glamorgan were awarded
first place and Dolau YFC,
Radnor were second. Both
clubs will now go on to represent Wales YFC at the NFYFC Dancing competition in
Torquay.
Aberedw YFC will also take
to the stage in Torquay, with
their winning Pantomime at
the NFYFC Final to be held
during the end of April.

April 2015

Wales Farmer

YFC FEAST

Magic moment as panto crew pick up the trophies

Aberedw YFC, Radnor, and their Pantomime entitled The Magic Bone won the EGH Trumper Trophy and a FUW Welsh Royal Crystal Trophy for the best English Pantomime staged

Laura takes top award

WINNER of the Wales YFC Senior
Member of the Year contest, sponsored
by JCP Solicitors, was Laura Elliott
(right), of Gower YFC, Glamorgan.
Judging the competition was Malcolm
Thomas, of JCP Solicitors, and Gareth
Davies, of Wynnstay along with his
wife Michelle.
Mr Thomas said: It was an absolute
pleasure to see these young people expressing themselves so clearly and the
whole competition was the strongest
and clearest evidence of the role of
the YFC movement in providing these
members with these life skills.
Laura Elliott is a project officer at
Swansea University.
She is currently vice-chairman of
Glamorgan Federation and vice-chairman of the Wales YFC Competitions
Committee.
Laura said: To win this competition
really is the icing on the cake of an
amazing 15 years in young farmers.

Ffion wins junior accolade

THE Wales YFC Junior Member of the Year Competition, sponsored by JCP, was won by Ffion Phillips (left), of Hermon YFC, Pembrokeshire.
Judging the competition was Tegwen Morris,
Merched Y Wawr, Lyn Richards, Coleg Sir Gr and
Lowri Fflur Davies, retiring Senior Member of
the Year.
Ffion, who is 16, is studying history, drama, music
and triple science in her final year of GSCEs. She
is vice-chairman of Pembrokeshires Youth Forum
and enjoys various competitions in the YFC calendar from public speaking to singing.
Both the Junior and Senior Member of the Year
will be ambassadors for Wales YFC during the year
and will be called upon as officers of the organisation to assist during various events.

15

16

Wales Farmer

April 2015

YFC FEAST

The Bryn Teifi trophy and a FUW Welsh Royal Crystal Trophy was awarded to Hermon YFC, Pembrokeshire, for their panto entitled Helynt Hari

Joshua Bennett from Llysyfran YFC,

Pembrokeshire, was awarded the best
actor title in the English section

Angharad Edwards, from Llysyfran

YFC, took the best actress title for her
performance in the clubs pantomime

A colourful cast from Penybont YFC, Carmarthenshire, as they compete in the Welsh pantomime finals

Wentwood YFC, Gwent in the English pantomime competition where their performance went with a bang

Wales Farmer

April 2015

17

NEWS

Alternatives
to antibiotics

N animal health
expert
from
Car marthenshire
is to investigate alternatives to antibiotic use
in agriculture after being
awarded a Nuffield Farming
Scholarship sponsored by
the Royal Welsh Agricultural
Society.
Aled Rhys Davies, a farmers son who lives near Llandeilo, will study whether
clinical and sub-clinical infectious diseases which adversely affect the health status and viability of farmed
livestock can be managed
economically without antibiotics.
Mr Davies believes opportunities exist for farmers to
achieve economically viable
food production with limited
antibiotic use.
Some alternatives do exist
but many are poorly understood, he suggests. I plan to
focus on clarifying the worth
and value of the known alternatives, forming a view

BY DEBBIE JAMES
A scholarship has been awarded to a farmers
son who will investigate the types of infectious
diseases that affect various livestock and how
they can be kept under control...
on fruitful avenues for future
research and development.
Mr Davies, the deputy managing director of animal
health company, Animax Ltd,
has a personal interest in
antibiotics. His grandfather
was but a young man when
he died of Weils Disease.
Had penicillin been discovered at that time, his life
could have been saved.
We now have issues with
antibiotic resistance so in
two generations we are back
to square one, suggested Mr
Davies.
Problems with antibiotic
resistance form a real threat
to livestock and every human
being on the planet. His Nuffield Farming Scholarship

research will be centred on

Europe, America and Oceania.
Mr Davies believes all livestock farmers would benefit
from enhancing a natural immune response rather than
relying on antibiotics to treat
diseases.
He said: My study will allow me to compare and contrast species and countries
where regulatory pressures
on antibiotic usage differ.
Mr Davies expressed his
gratitude to the Royal Welsh
Agricultural Society for supporting his study. Studying
under the umbrella of a Nuffield scholarship will allow
me to give something back to
the agricultural sector.

Advice so you can

prevent infestations
WITH the spring weather many soils have now
reached 5-6C at 10cm
depth. This has triggered
both grass and broadleaved weed growth and
the competition for light,
space and nutrients is
under way.
Buttercups and dandelions are the first to get
going. Bad infestations
may need spraying with
a translocated herbicide,
when rosettes of actively
growing, fresh green
leaves can be seen, says
Andy Bailey, grassland
specialist for Dow AgroSciences.
Waiting until the field
is a carpet of yellow is too
late and spraying then
will be less effective. If
docks are also a problem,
farmers should not be
tempted to spray for both
at the same time, when
the docks are at the ideal
stage for treating, buttercups and dandelions will
be too far advanced.
Broad-spectrum herbicides such as Pastor on
silage ground and Forefront T on land grazed by
cattle and sheep, are good
options for early applications to catch both buttercups and dandelions.

Aled Rhys Davies will investigate alternatives to antibiotic use in agriculture

PICTURE: Debbie James

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18

Wales Farmer

April 2015

FEATURE

Shedding past thinking leads

to diversification and survival

HE
economics
of
small-scale
farming
has forced many Welsh
family businesses to
look beyond the sphere of
traditional farming.
According to the latest
Farm
Business
Survey,
around 2,300 farm businesses in Wales are now generating an income from diversification enterprises.
Among these rural entrepreneurs are Hugh and
Jayne Prichard. They run a
160-acre sheep and suckler
beef farm near Llantrisant
but 15 years ago they had an
opportunity to buy a timber
yard.
They seized the opportunity and that business has
flourished and expanded to
include a thriving gift shop
and tearoom called The Potting Shed.
Hugh is delighted they embarked on diversification. It
is not easy making a 160-acre
farm sustainable, especially
now Tir Gofal has gone, he
admits. Without the diversification the farm wouldnt
survive and sadly that is the
case in general with small
farms, he said.
His parents had been dairy
farming at Castellau Fawr
Farm but in the same week
that Hugh left school in 1972,
they asked him to decide between retaining the pedigree
British Friesian herd or giving up milking.
Father had a good offer
on the herd and I was given
a weekend to make up my
mind, he recalls. We didnt
own the farm at the time and
it needed new buildings and
cubicle sheds so it seemed
the most sensible decision to
sell.
The decision to sell proved
to be the right one because
the farm came up for sale six
months later and the family
used the money from the sale
of the herd to buy it.
After ceasing milk production, the family started fattening chickens for Sun Valley in addition to running a
herd of pedigree Herefords
and a flock of Blue Faced
Leicesters.
In 1982 they achieved the
top price at a ram sale at
Builth Wells with a ram that
sold for 1,290 guineas. In 1980
the Charollais breed was introduced into the flock.
Ten years later Hughs father retired from farming
and Hugh and his brother
decided to go their separate
ways, splitting the farm.
Hugh was still fattening
chickens but Sun Valley
had built a new processing
facility for turkeys in Abergavenny and wanted all its

Hugh Prichard says farmers successfully diversify because their skills are easily transferable

BY DEBBIE JAMES
According to the latest Farm Business Survey,
around 2,300 farm businesses in Wales are
now generating an income from diversification
enterprises.
producers in the region to
concentrate on turkey production. For us the investment wasnt worthwhile so
we focused our activities on
sheep and single sucklers,
said Hugh.
In addition to farming, he
had also been building farm
sheds for a number of years
so when the chance came to
buy a local timber yard in the
early 1990s, Hugh and Jayne
took the plunge. It proved a
wise investment, as demand
for timber has never shown
signs of slowing down.
The housing market in
this part of south Wales is
really busy, masses of fencing goes up every day, said
Hugh.
The business, Country Timbers, sources wood from Ireland, Scotland and overseas
and manufactures it into

different lengths and sizes.

In addition to timber fencing, the yard also produces
a wide range of gates and
wood panels of all shapes
and sizes.
We are manufacturers,
suppliers and erectors of
quality timber products
including garden fencing,
decking, sheds and garden
buildings, said Hugh.
The timber yard, tearoom
and gift shop now employs
12 people and has just experienced one of its busiest
years.
The weather was fine so
people have been buying garden furniture, it has been a
good year for us, said Hugh.
It was nine years ago that
the Richards decided to expand further, opening the
Potting Shed. We had been
selling furniture and metal

Hugh and Jayne Prichards tearoom, with the timber yard and gift shop, employs 12 people
work for gates so it made
sense to open a shop at the
site and a tearoom also, said
Hugh.
The shop, which stocks
everything from gifts to childrens clothing, has become a

destination retail experience

with customers travelling
from far afield.
Hugh believes farmers
make a success of diversification because the skills
needed to run a business are

easily transferable.
Business is business,
whether you are farming or
running a timber yard, you
have to have a little bit of
something about you to run
a business, he said.

Wales Farmer

April 2015

19

TriAl confirms The vAlue of

feeding shine once-A-dAy

A calf feeding trial has revealed that

encouraging calves to consume more dry feed
at an early age by rearing them on a once-a-day
milk replacer improves their growth and health
both before and after weaning.
INRA, the French animal research body, compared
a control group of calves fed cows milk via
computerised feeders and those bucket-fed a
combination of cows milk and Shine Once-a-Day.
The control group received an additional 21kg of
milk solids but consumed far less concentrates.
At weaning and at 14 weeks, they were the same
weight as the calves fed the combination of Shine
and cows milk.
The Shine group were consuming between 540720g of milk solids per day in four litres of liquid
and had far greater rumen development compared
to the control group which consumed 1080g in
nine litres of liquid. The control group took longer
to wean as they were not eating enough dry feed.
According to Tom Warren of Bonanza Calf
Nutrition, which manufactures Shine, the trial
showed the benefits of getting dry feed into calves
at an early age.

It may surprise people but microbial protein

produced in the rumen from dry feed consumed
by the calf has the same feed value as skim
milk powder and this is why overfeeding milk,
particularly after the calf is four weeks of age, is
not cost effective, says Mr Warren.

As 80-90% of the protein required for growth

and milk production comes from microbial
protein, getting the rumen started is a key part
of any rearing process, he adds. The UK feed
industry has been at the forefront of producing
highly palatable and digestible rations for the
young calf. As with all feeds, particularly calf
feeds, select on the basis of ingredients used
and physical appearance and not on chemical
analysis.
To get good intakes of dry feed, calves need water
- and plenty of it. A calf at four to five weeks of
age will drink four litres of water of more each
day and 10 litres after weaning. Mr Warren says
some farmers overlook the water needs of calves
because the animals dont have access to proper
drinkers and the water has to be carried to them;
others believe that if calves have free access
to water it will cause them to scour. But limiting
access to water will reduce dry feed intake by

60% and cut growth rates by 30% - comparable

to the same reduction in performance that might
be expected from a bad outbreak of scour or
pneumonia.
Many farms use a proportion of waste milk
at the start of the calving period and there is
no doubt that feeding colostrum or transition
milk for the first seven days helps to reduce
disease levels, especially when calves are kept
in small groups and watched closely, Mr Warren
explains.
Feeding Shine with cows milk will help extend
this resource and will reduce the volume of
liquid calves have to consume each day. This will
encourage dry feed intake and will reduce rearing
costs without compromising calf performance. It
also allows more time for calf husbandry and care.
Mr Warren says saving the equivalent of 170 litres
of milk per calf reared - worth 50/calf - is a more
sustainable system both environmentally and
financially.
Feeding milk replacer exclusively from seven days
of age reduces weaning age, labour and costs
even further for a more sustainable future for all
concerned, he says.

20

Wales Farmer

April 2015

NEWS

Efficiency
crucial to
reducing
emissions

IMPROVING production efficiency, rather than reducing

livestock numbers, is a good
way to reduce the carbon
footprint of farms.
Thats one of the findings of an interim report
produced by researchers at
Bangor University for Hybu
Cig Cymru Meat Promotion
Wales (HCC).
HCC published an environmental plan for the Welsh
red meat industry in 2012 to
investigate ways to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
The most effective method
for enterprises to decrease
their carbon footprint was
through reducing the time
taken to take animals to
slaughter, said the report.
If all enterprises were able
to get their stock to slaughter
as quickly as those on lowemitting farms, emissions
would diminish by 15 per
cent for beef and 30.5 per cent
for lamb farms. The impact
of this measure far exceeds
other scenarios assessed.
The report was commissioned halfway through the
groups five-year programme
to gauge the industry.
Bangor University used carbon footprinting to measure
the carbon emitted per kilo
of beef or lamb produced. on
15 farms. Reducing the time
to fatten livestock and send
them for slaughter was found
to produce good results.
Lynfa Davies, HCCs technical development chief, said:
Improving the efficiency of
livestock production is essential to reduce emissions.

Walks will
showcase
best farms

LIVESTOCK farmers can

find out how to achieve top
performance from grassland
at two farms walks this April.
The Forage Field Milking Grass for Profit spring
farm walks have become a
mainstay for grassland farmers and are attended by hundreds of producers.
This year the RABDF, DairyCo and BGS partnership
travels to Flintshire on April
23 and Gloucestershire on
April 28, visiting farms that
showcase how grassland can
be a key driver of profitable
milk production.
The walk on April 23 will be
hosted by Ed Morgan at Carreg Y Llech Farm, Treuddyn,
Mold, and the event on April
28 will be hosted by Keith
Davis, of Mile Bridge Dairy,
Lydney Estate, Aylburton.
l For detail or to register,
visit www.rabdf.co.uk or call
0845 458 2711.

Team to increase product and profit

Pictured (from left): Rebecca Moore; Ed Jones; James Jackson; Kenny McDonald; Ian Turner; Lachlan Maclachlan; Chris Lavis;
Adam May

FARMER-OWNED business Mole Valley Farmers

have announced a new
specialist Red Meat team
to aid beef and sheep producers in enhancing efficiencies improving productivity and increasing
profitability.
With beef and sheep
farmers facing increasing
market volatility and CAP
reform likely to reduce
direct payments, the team
will focus on red meat production.
Adam May, commercial
manager, says the move by
Mole Valley Farmers is an
industry first for the supply sector.
The formation of our
dedicated Red Meat team
demonstrates our commitment to working with
our farmer members and
customers, he said.
As a farmer-owned
business, Mole Valley
Farmers not only provide
competitively priced,
quality inputs, we believe
in supporting livestock
farmers.
The team hold a number
of tools to help identify
ways to improve farm specific performance, including the Mole Valley
Farmers Beef Cost of
Production Calculator.

Moving to organic milk

gives farms an edge

HE new chairman of Pembrokeshire-based Welsh cooperative Calon Wen says he

believes organic milk has a
bright future.
Dave Edge, who this month takes
over the role of herding 20 familyrun farms under the branded Welsh
milk, says that even for mediumsized conventional farms in Wales
it could be the time to make the
switch to organic in the near future.
Mr Edge says the consistent prices Calon Wen can secure for their
milk points to a solid, and growing,
demand among consumers who
consider organic milk as a staple,
not a luxury.
He said: One-in-four shoppers
opt for organic milk now and thats
coming off the back of the deepest
recession in living memory where
household budgets were hardest
hit.
Calon Wen has just secured a
deal to supply Asda with milk and
that means we now hold a full
house, stocked by the big five supermarkets.
At a time when multiples are cutting the number of labels for each
product, thats a huge approval of
our hard fought brand as well.
When companies like McDon-

alds are selling organic milk, you

know the customers are making
their feelings known.
Conventional milk prices have
taken a battering recently and if
I were a conventional farmer it
would be the volatility that would
kill me.
Organic prices have remained
pretty steady over the past three
years.
The difference in price between
organic and conventional is anywhere from 14p upwards per litre
and thats a striking figure in these
difficult times.
The Calon Wen brand covers milk,
cheese and butter and there are
plans for other products too. It has
become a favourite across Wales.
However, Mr Edge says their marketing efforts must now turn to the
South East of England.
Youve got one of the biggest
markets in Europe there, with a
very developed appetite for quality
food, he said.
Customer spend on organic
dairy went up by six per cent last
year while conventional dairy contracted by three per cent.
If we want to ride spending
growth, the most densely populated
part of the UK is the place to be.

Dave Edge, the

new chairman of
Pembrokeshirebased Welsh cooperative Calon
Wen, says he
believes organic
milk has a bright
future

Wales Farmer

April 2015

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21

22

Wales Farmer

April 2015

NEWS

On the hunt
for Britains
oldest and
best tractor

THE farming machinery

classified website, LammaXchange, has launched a quest
to discover Britains oldest
working tractor.
In addition to winning
1,000, the owner of the oldest model entered via the
LammaXchange
website,
will be profiled in Farmers
Guardian and will be invited
to display their tractor at
the companys sister event,
LAMMA 2016.
We know there are a lot of
very well used old tractors
on Britains farms, and we
want to seek them out and
tell their stories, says James
Rickard of LammaXchange.
Whether you use your old
workhorses for yard-scraping or checking your sheep,
we want to hear from you!
Rickard adds that their
quest is not only a salute to
the ingenuity of farmers to
fix almost anything, but also
to the brilliance of Britains
heritage in agricultural engineering. Some of the worlds
oldest machinery brands
originate from Britain, in the
era when we became global
leaders in engineering and
innovation.
If you think you have the
winning old tractor on your
farm, or know someone who
does, LammaXchange wants
to hear from you.
Anyone looking to enter can
go to lammaxchange.com/
content/tractor-competition.
php to upload a photograph
of their tractor, the date of
manufacture of the tractor
and their contact details.

Changes to
entitlements
a hot topic

THE
Carmarthenshire
branch of the Farmers Union of Wales held an open
meeting to discuss the changes to farm payments and the
Common Agricultural Policy
(CAP).
Welsh Government farm liaison officer Rita Jones gave
a presentation on the changes to the Single Application
Form and CAP.
The presentation was followed by a lively debate and
provided members with the
opportunity to ask some pertinent questions.
FUW
Carmarthenshire
county executive officer David Waters said: 2015 is a
critical year in which new
Basic Payment entitlements
will be created and rules have
changed eligibility for payments and land management
requirements. I would like to
thank Mrs Jones for her informative presentation.

Farmers discuss difficulties with MP

THE impact of market volatility on farming businesses

and the ongoing difficulties
in the dairy sector were high
on the agenda when Ceredigion NFU Cymru officeholders met recently with local
MP Mark Williams at an onfarm meeting in Tynygraig.
Ceredigion NFU Cymru
Chairman Wyn Evans said:
Were facing significant
challenges to our businesses
with the impacts of price
volatility being felt across all
the main agricultural commodity sectors, in particular
for our dairy farmers. This is
having a knock-on effect on
the confidence of farmers to
make the necessary investments in their businesses to
build for the future.
I appreciate many of the
factors impacting on the
price we receive for our
goods are global and outside
of government control, however there are several levers
that the UK government can
use to support our businesses
during these volatile times.
With an budget statement
due in March we have impressed upon Mark Williams
how the tax regime could better support farmers.

NFU Cymru Ceredigion officeholders with Mark Williams MP (21207826)

Cogent brings muscle

and milk to the line-up

OMANY 1 Lawbreaker, a breed-leading

Hereford, has joined
Cogents
Signature
Beef line-up.
Lawbreaker brings together an almost unparalleled
combination of genetic potential with unique physical
and statistical performance.
He ranks in the top 5% of
the breed for 200, 400 and 600
days and with an eye muscle
area of +3.5, Lawbreaker will
be the bull to suit all markets.
This exciting new bull
also offers great maternal
strengths with a self replacing index of +41 and a terminal index in the top 5% of the
breed.
Added to this is a family
reputation for success in the
show ring. His sire, Spurstow
Recruit 1st, is a consistent
producer of progeny with
quality carcass traits and
has already delivered show
and sale champions with one
of his first daughters winning the National Poll Show
in 2014.
Cogents Beef Sire Analyst,
Boomer Birch said: We are
delighted to continue bringing such high calibre bloodlines to the Cogent Signature
Beef portfolio. Lawbreaker
is a breath of fresh air, full of

Cogents selection of proven bulls offers dairy and beef farmers a combination of production, type and value
breed character with great
muscle and growth. His exceptional structure is complemented by breed leading
EBVs and he will be perfect
for use in any sector of the
beef production industry. He
offers some of the best breedleading genetics to both commercial and pedigree producers and is a bull that will

certainly stand out from the

crowd.
We can expect this bull to
break all the rules by transmitting muscle with milk to
his progeny.
Robert Wilson from Romany Poll Herefords, and
Lawbreakers breeder, said:
Lawbreaker was always
a stand-out calf among his

peers, full of breed character

and exhibiting all the traits
needed in a modern Hereford
bull. We are delighted producers will have the chance
to use him.
On seeing his sires carcass as a young calf, we had
to have him and this was before we even knew about his
unique pedigree or excellent

performance data. We feel

Lawbreaker exhibits similar
virtues in his performance,
length, muscle and balance.
His dam is also from one of
our best and oldest female
lines within the herd. Whatever avenue of beef production he is being considered
for, he should tick all the
boxes.

Wales Farmer

April 2015

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23

24

Wales Farmer

April 2015

More views are sought over

compulsory chips for dogs
If you would like your business to be
seen by farmers, equestrians and
smallholders throughout Wales call:

01437 765000
or email: aaron.byrne@
walesfarmer.co.uk

PLANS to introduce compulsory micro-chipping of dogs

in Wales are moving ahead.
A new public consultation
into some of the more technical details of how the scheme
could work was launched
in March, with the possibility of legislation being introduced next year.
The consultation will consider aspects such as who is
able to chip dogs, and what
and how information should
be recorded.
The possibility of the new

law was first discussed in

2013.
Deputy Minister for Farming and Food, Rebecca Evans
said: When we originally
consulted on introducing
compulsory micro-chipping,
84% of respondents supported the idea.
We are now asking for
views on some of the more
technical aspects of how this
would work in practice with
a view to bringing in compulsory microchipping in spring
2016.

l Email your news to wfeditor@walesfarmer.co.uk

Reports
of slurry
in stream

Oh well, he could
always retrain as a
guard dog.

INVESTIGATIONS
were
underway after reports
that 10,000 gallons of slurry entered a stream in the
Towy valley.
Natural Resources Wales
said early indications were
that the slurry had entered
a stream known locally as
Rotten Pill, 3km upstream
from the estuary on March
18, as Wales Farmer to
press.
Jonathan
Willington,
Carmarthenshire environment team leader at Natural Resources Wales, said
its officers were attending
the incident and would be
taking action to protect the
local environment and to
prevent any further slurry
entering the water where

A sheepdog with no future on the land.

It sounds unthinkable, yet if you continually
use wormers on your sheep with the same
active ingredient, resistance builds and they
become less effective. Eventually they will
fail completely. And one day the sheep will
be gone.
Have you checked if your sheep wormers are
working properly? Finding out is simple and
straightforward. Specially qualified staff at your
nearest AHDA animal medicines stockist will
ask a few questions to establish an effective
and comprehensive worming programme.
Act now, because inefficient wormers
cost money.
Talking to your local qualified AHDA staff
will allow you, and your dog, to face the
future with confidence.

To find your nearest AHDA (Animal Health Distributors

Association) member go to www.ahda.co.uk

10160 AHDA SHEEP DOG WALES FARMER 240x172.indd 1

NRW officers responded to the latest pollution incident

Free advice from qualified

animal health specialists

17/03/2015 09:20

possible.
He advised local people
to be aware that the river
could remain discoloured
for several days and that
they may also notice signs
of a foam-like material in
the water as the slurry began to break down.
Anyone who spots signs
of environmental damage
or pollution is asked to report it to the NRW incident
hotline on 0800 807060.
For more information
on reporting environmental incidents including
pollution, illegal tree felling, flooding and wildlife crime go to naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/
report-it

Wales Farmer

April 2015

If you are interested in an improved broadband service and currently receive broadband speeds of
below 2Mbps you could be eligible for up to 900 funding from the Welsh Governments Access
Broadband Cymru scheme to cover the installation costs. Speeds of 10Mb to 100Mb available,
please Contact us for more details.

mail@tfl-group.com
BRITAINS SMALLEST CITY GETS HIGH SPEED
WIRELESS BROADBAND

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TFL was established in 1983 and initially provided 2-Way Radio

communications for ports, gas & oil terminals and the public sector
in South, West and Mid Wales. In 2002 we extended services to
include superfast fixed wireless broadband provision

The First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, recently unveiled Ysbryd

y Mor (Spirit of the Sea) which is to be the first turbine in Tidal
Energy LTDs 10mw commercial array near St Davids. It was
designed by Pembrokeshire engineer Richard Ayre and built by
Pembroke Dock company Mustang Marine.
Back in 2011 Phase I of the Treleddyd Fawr Community Broadband
This project will see the installation of Waless first tidal energy
Project brought high speed wireless broadband to the historic city
generator which will be fitted just off Ramsay Sound along with an
of St Davids, with dozens of local residents, businesses, remote
extensive suite of monitoring equipment.
farms and even the nearby RNLI station benefitting from the new
The first year of this
service.
project will be spent
monitoring conditions in
Completed in 2012, Phase II also included multiple new wireless
the area, so TFLs
connections for St David's Cathedral, allowing access across all
symmetrical 20mbps
facilities on the site. High bandwidth connectivity is now available in
SDSL connection will be
all locations within the Cathedral, including the Vestry, the Canonry, O
essential in keeping track
the offices, choir scholar's accommodation and even the Dean's
of how much energy the
residence.
generator can be
expected to produce. The high-bandwidth connection will be used
Wireless Broadband can be installed
to relay telemetry from the site 24 hours a day so will require
quickly and easily and is ideal for
mission-critical services which TFL are accustomed to providing.
remote rural locations currently
unable to receive a highspeed
Other businesses and organisations to benefit from TFLs wireless
connection through BT.
broadband solutions include the National Botanic Garden of
Wales, Writemedia, Hywel Dda NHS Trust, Valero, Dragon LNG,
Other communities to benefit from TFL's wireless broadband
Brecon Carreg, RWE Pembroke Powerstation, Pembrokeshire
solutions indude Mynachlog-ddu, Herbrandston, Angle, Llanddewi
County Council, Magstim, and Caldey Island, amongst many
Velfrey, Hayscastle and Penycwm/Newgale, and many others.
others.

TFL group are currently working on business installations and community projects across Pembrokeshire
and Carmarthenshire, we also connect individuals too.
LATEST OFFER - free broadband connections for Community Centres
and Village Halls. Please contact us for more details.

25

26

April 2015

Wales Farmer

NEWS

There are
alternatives
to soya for
your ewes

A STUDY with the aim of

identifying sustainable protein sources other than soya
has produced interesting results.
Soya is an important component of sheep feeds because it provides high quality protein. However, all soya
is imported into the UK.
Research undertaken by
ADAS and supported by
Hybu Cig Cymru Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) evaluated other protein sources that
can be grown in this country.
A sample of approximately 240 ewes aged 1-7 years,
scanned as carrying twin
lambs and due to lamb in
February and March 2014,
were randomly allocated
to six treatment groups of
ewes at housing in January
2014. Ewe live weight and
body condition was assessed
from when their lambs were
weaned until sale or retention in October. Six groups
of ewes were fed good quality
grass silage along with different protein and energy sources, namely fodder beet or
cereals, said Lynfa Davies,
HCCs technical development
executive.
The research demonstrated that rapeseed meal, wheat
distillers grains and beans
can all be used as substitutes
for soya bean meal in the diets of twin bearing and rearing ewes that have been fed
silage of a good quality.
The research report, Sustainable protein sources for
pregnant ewes, can be found
on HCCs website.

Charity zip
line raises
vital funds

CAERNARFON NFU Cymru

secretary Hedd Rhys tackled the longest zip line in
the northern hemisphere to
raise 1,000 for the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (Rabi).
Hedd, along with his father
Olaf Davies and eight Rabi
charity supporters, scaled
heights of 500m on a milelong zip line at Bethesda.
Mr Rhys said: Taking part
in this challenge was certainly an experience, the nearest
thing to flying. This money
will go a long way.
Linda Jones, regional manager of Rabi, said: Its brilliant this group took on the
zip wire challenge.
Hedds 1,000 contributed
to the groups total of more
than 2,600 with another
600 pledged.
Another 1,000 was donated
to RABI by the NFU Cymru
Mid-Gwynedd Trustees.

New lyrics highlight farming dangers

THE Wurzels have joined

forces with The Farm Safety
Foundation to create an unconventional farm safety
video aimed at encouraging
farmers to commit to being
safer and more professional.
The West Countrys rural
songsters have re-recorded
Combine Harvester song with
new lyrics which has been
paired with a light-hearted
video produced by students
at Moreton Morrell College.
While the original 1974
version dealt with love-sick
farmers attempts to woo a
neighbouring farmer, the
2015 version highlights the
risks of modern day farming.
Farming remains the UKs
most dangerous occupation.
The latest statistics produced
by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show 27 people
died in farm accidents in the
year to April 2014.
Rob Jones, Farm Safety
Foundation Trustee, said:
Too many farmers and their
families are suffering as a result of unnecessary injuries
or fatalities at work.
To watch the video, visit
yellowwellies.org. Farmers
can also followa @yellowwelliesuk on Twitter.

The Wurzels have re-recorded Combine Harvester to highlight the toll of farm accidents

Consumers need more

choice to opt for lamb

ETTING more lamb

on to supermarket
shelves was the main
thrust of the National Sheep Association Cymru
Wales annual meeting.
The theme was Taking the
Industry Forward. Chairman Paul Wozencraft, of
Rhayader, said it was vital to
look after the customer. He
said sheep producers needed
a fair return but the price of
lamb had to be affordable.
He said: Lamb must not
become a niche product and
we need to continue to promote our produce and get
people to eat it on a regular
basis. The EU meat sector is
battling falling consumption
and it is vital to keep finding
new markets and, with the
help of HCC (Hybu Cig Cymru, Meat Promotion Wales) ,
we will keep doing that.
We need to be aware of
the fluctuating exchange
rate and the strengthening
pound. It could have a huge
impact on farm gate prices
this year. Its not something
in our control but we need to
be aware of it.
All we can do as sheep
farmers is to manage our
costs and, more often than
not, the weather will dictate
our inputs.

NSA CYMRU WALES AGM

Sheep producers need a fair return, but the price of lamb has to
be affordable was the message from chairman Paul Wozencraft, of
Rhayader at the NSA Wales annual meeting.

RWAS chief
executive
Steve
Hughson,
Rhydian
Thomas
and Dr Dai
Morris at
the NSA
Cymru
Wales AGM.
(19703825)
The low profile of lamb at
an Asda store in Preston forcibly struck NSA next generation ambassador, Rhydian
Thomas.
He told the meeting that he
had visited the store as part
of the NSA professional development programme.
Rhydian,
25,
of
Carmarthen-based
Cothi
Shears, said: We visited an
Asda store which Dunbia

supplies with lamb. It was

shocking to realise how little
shelf space lamb had in the
supermarket.
We saw while we were
there, a woman picking up
some lamb chops, look at
the price, and then place it
back on the shelves. She then
picked up some chicken,
which was much cheaper
and that was quite worrying.

Rhydian was one of a group

from England, Wales, Scotland and Ulster selected for
the first NSA next generation
ambassador programme. It
involved technical and personal development, market
selection, food chain development, sheep husbandry,
brand development and adding value, optimising genetics, time management, business planning, presentation

skills, conflict resolution

and promotion of the sheep
sector.
Dr Dai Morris, sheep farmer and recent John Gittins
award winner, reflected on
50 years in sheep farming.
Looking to the future, he
stressed that good grassland management was the
basis of all sheep work and
he produced rams genuinely
off grass so that they didnt
melt away once put to work.
He stressed that, while recording was important and
he had been the first to start
the sire reference scheme
with the Charollais and
had also been involved with
Lleyn recording, he never
chose breeding stock on figures. He produced rams with
high figures because many
buy on figures, but he felt
that where breeders relied
on figures alone, the flocks
went down.
Royal Welsh Agricultural
Society chief
executive,
Steve Hughson, shared his
vision for the future of the
society.
He stressed that the Royal
Welsh Show, worth more
than 40million a year to
the Welsh rural economy
is more than a show, much
more than four days.

Wales Farmer

April 2015

Organic market bucks

trend with 1.4% rise

HE Soil Association
2015 Organic Market
Report has been published and the cautious
welcome with which the 2014
report was received (the first
to show market growth for
five years) has blossomed
into full blown optimism.
The organic market in
Wales and the west is following this trend having grown
by 1.4 per cent to 96.3 million.
Overall UK sales of organic
production in 2014 were up 4
per cent to 1.86 billion compared to the previous year,
all the more remarkable in
the context of a 1.1 per cent
decline in the food and drink
market.
Organic eggs and poultry
are enjoying a particularly
strong revival with 15.8 and
8.2 per cent increases respectively across the UK and 18.8
and 7.7 per cent in Wales.
Dairy in Wales and the west
is up by 6.2 per cent compared to the UKs 7.7 per cent
and this against a decline of
3 per cent in the non-organic
market.
The growth of the market
for organic fruit in Wales has
outpaced the UK, showing 7.5
per cent compared to 6.4 per
cent, but vegetables and sal-

ads have decreased slightly

in both Wales and the UK.
Tony Little, Better Organic
Business Links project officer said: The recovery from
the recession is the main
driver behind the figures
while the motivations for
buying organic food remain
pretty much as they have
been over the last 10 years:
concerns over risks posed
by pesticide residues and
GM food; the environmental
benefits of organic farming;
animal health and welfare.
However, the red meat sector continues to decline in
the UK, down 9.2 per cent for
lamb and 3.6 per cent for beef
with Wales and the west seeing a contraction of 15.6 and
8.5 per cent respectively.
During this period farmers
have received a premium for
their beef and lamb and both
the drop in consumption and
premium paid are likely to
be the result of a shortage of
organic red meat.
This was reflected in discussions when key organic
businesses came together in
Cardiff to start thrashing
out a strategy for organic
food and farming in Wales.
The fragility of the UK
market for red meat is a challenge and businesses are

responding by diversifying,
both in terms of geography
and routes to market.
The burgeoning export
market is increasingly important for Welsh lamb and
beef and many businesses
are beginning to focus on
this sector.
At home the growth of the
catering market, direct sales
and online marketing present big opportunities.
From a demand and supply perspective, the situation
will be alleviated by a drop
of 18 and 2 per cent in beef
and lamb respectively a
trend linked to the reduction
of organic land in Wales over
the past couple of years.
Textiles deserve a mention
and, in a Welsh context, wool
in particular.
Wool output dropped by
17%, again a reflection of
the contracting production
base but, for the first time
in many years, producers of
finer grades enjoyed a 15p a
kilo organic premium.
Mr Little said: This report
is confirmation the organic
sector is back on a firm footing after some difficult years.
Sales are up significantly in
areas where the overall food
The 2015 Organic Market Report shows strong growth
markets are down.

Celebration marks groups 50 years

THE Home-Grown Cereals

Authority (HGCA) is celebrating 50 years of innovation in the industry.
The occasion affords the
sector a chance to reflect on
past achievements, as well as
envisage how it can adapt to
challenges of the future.
Celebrations will start at
this summers Cereals event
after HGCAs official birthday on June 2. The stand will
look at how the landscape
has changed for the UK cereals and oilseeds supply chain
and what it might look like in
the future.
At the event, HGCA will
showcase
initiatives
designed to secure a sustainable and profitable future at
the cutting edge of scientific
and commercial innovation.
The event will explore key
advances in science and
technology alongside changing market dynamics, which
have impacted the industry.
HGCA director Rebecca
Geraghty said: The sector
has changed radically over
the past 50 years and will continue to do so.
The anniversary sees the
organisation rebrand as
AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds.

NEWS

Lantern ban
in place for
properties
of a council

RSPCA Cymru has welcomed

the news that Bridgend
County Borough Council
has become the latest Local
Authority in Wales to ban
the release of sky lanterns
and celebratory balloons
from council-owned land and
property.
The move now means that
eight local authorities have
acted on sky lantern releases.
RSPCA Cymru has highlighted the dangers associated with the use of sky lanterns, and continues to call
on the Welsh Government to
implement an outright ban
on their use across Wales.
In October 2013 the Welsh
Government wrote to local authorities encouraging
them to introduce a voluntary ban, and now eight out
of the 22 have done so.
Sky lanterns can harm livestock, wildlife and other animals by causing injuries that
lead to suffering and a slow
painful death.
RSPCA Cymrus Public Affairs Manager, Chris OBrien,
said: We are delighted that
Bridgend County Borough
Council has taken this important step. Now more than
a third of councils in Wales
have acted against the use of
sky lanterns.
Bridgend County Borough
Council follows the Vale of
Glamorgan Council, Cardiff,
Caerphilly,
Carmarthenshire, Conwy, Neath Port
Talbot and Pembrokeshire,
who have already introduced
a ban to use sky lanterns on
public land.

EU offers
deadline
extension

The HGCA team including, (front left) HGCA chairman Jonathan Tipples and (front right) HGCA director Rebecca Geraghty

27

EUROPEAN
Commission
plans to extend the deadline
for applications to the Basic
Payment Scheme by a month
is potentially good news for
Wales, says NFU Cymru.
On March 19 the EU Agriculture Commissioner proposed extending the deadline
to Monday, June 15 to recognise the difficulties administrations across Europe are
facing introducing the new
Common Agricultural Policy.
Farmers are reporting that
the application form is taking far longer to complete
this year.
John Davies, NFU Cymru
deputy president, said: We
understand that member
states will be given the option
to extend the deadline.
Given the complexity and
additional work associated
with this years form we need
to seriously consider making
use of the extension.

28

Wales Farmer

April 2015

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