GARETH VAUGHAN OVERWHELMINGLY RE-ELECTED FUW PRESIDENT

GARETH VAUGHAN was re-elected for the fifth successive time as president of the Farmers' Union of Wales during the organisation's council meeting in Aberystwyth this afternoon (Thursday, June 5).

Mr Vaughan, who begins his sixth year in office, won the confidence of the union's members by being overwhelmingly elected by delegates from the union's 12 county branches for the top post.

"I'm delighted to be re-elected as president and look forward to driving forward the aims and ambitions of the FUW in the future and seeing the results of the union's investment and everyone's hard work over recent months in the union's financial services arm bearing fruit," he said.

Born in Llanidloes in 1941, Mr Vaughan attended Manledd Primary and Llanidloes High Schools. He left at the age of 15 to work on the family farm, and joined Llangurig Young Farmers Club where his interests included public speaking and drama.

He runs a traditional beef and sheep unit at Cwmyrhiewdre Farm, Dolfor, near Newtown which extends to 862 acres. He farms in partnership with his wife of over 40 years, Audrey, and 11 years ago his daughter Catherine and son-in-law Brian joined the business.

Over the years the family has carried out extensive improvements, with shelter belts, new buildings, land drainage and farm road layouts. Some 2,000 metres of new hedgerow has been planted with the aid of grants from Radnor ESA. Other hedge improvements were undertaken with the assistance of the Countryside Council for Wales.

Mr Vaughan has been an active member of the FUW for many years. He was chairman of the Newtown branch in 1988-89 and Montgomeryshire county chairman from 1991-93.

He has represented the county on the union's grand council and land use and parliamentary committee, the British Wool Marketing Board, the Meat and Livestock Commission liaison committee and the Agricultural Dwellinghouse Committee.

He was elected as the north Wales member of the FUW's national finance and organisation committee in 1998 before being elected vice president in 2000, deputy president in June 2002 and president in June 2003.

Mr Vaughan places great importance on supporting the local community and is involved with his local agricultural show, new hall committee and other local charities.

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