FUW ACCUSES WOOL BOARD OF UNDERMINING PRODUCERS' CONFIDENCE

By Gareth Wyn Jones on Sep 29, 08 11:53 AM

Welsh sheep farmers are complaining that the British Wool Marketing Board's intention to offer bonus payments for deliveries of more than 4,000 kilogrammes of wool would undermine confidence in the board.

Members of the Farmers' Union of Wales' livestock, wool and marts committee stressed bonus payments were fundamentally wrong because they contradicted the board's main object of ensuring the same standard prices for all producers regardless of the volume of wool delivered.

The committee was unanimously opposed to the board's intention to make additional payments of between 4 and 10p per kg to producers delivering more than 4,000 kg in the 2008/9 season.

Members instructed chairman Aeron Prysor Jones to write to the board's chief executive Ian Hartley to complain that consultation with members and producers regarding the intention to make such bonus payments had been negligible.

"The committee felt this undermined producers' confidence in the board at a time when it was attempting to encourage producers to remain loyal and not turn to other buyers," Mr Jones said today.