April 2009 Archives

Welsh farmers' strong objections to EU plans to introduce electronic identification (EID) of sheep next year were hammered home in Brussels today by FUW deputy president Emyr Jones.

Mr Jones and other representatives of Fairness for Farmers in Europe (FFE) outlined their strong objections to EID to the EU's Directorate General for Health and Consumer Affairs (DG SANCO) which is responsible for introducing it on December 31 this year.

"We made it clear to Alberto Laddomada, DG SANCO's Head of Unit for Animal Health, that there is now an almost unanimous acceptance across Europe that EID technology has serious problems associated with it in terms of implementing it on farms and in markets and slaughterhouses.

"I believe it is like forcing people to drive cars that have failed their MoTs. That is completely unacceptable when we are talking about animal health and welfare and disease control, not to mention the financial consequences of forcing people to use a costly technology that is not fit for purpose."

Mr Jones said recent statistics show sheep numbers in Wales fell by around 10 per cent between 2007 and 2008, while total EU sheep production fell by around 2.5 per cent during the same period.

"For many producers this regulation is likely to be the final straw, resulting in further reductions in flock sizes which in turn threatens the viability of the entire supply chain, especially in Wales," Mr Jones added.

Farmers' Union of Wales deputy president Emyr Jones, a leading Welsh Black Cattle breeder, has praised the EU's agricultural commissioner for opposing European plans to ease controls on Brazilian beef imports.

"I am heartened to learn that Mariann Fischer Boel has warned that she will not easily accept any easing of the tracking of Brazilian beef," said Mr Jones, who farms near Bala.

For over a year only an approved list of farms with proven tracking under Brazil's System of Identification and Beef and Buffalo Meat (SISBOV) has been able to supply animals for slaughter to be sold to Europe.

But Brazil regards the system as so tough and expensive that it prevents a return to previous export levels which have fallen from US$1bn to US$270m a year.

Now EU's director of animal health Van Goethem has said that although some problems were found by the last European mission to Brazil that should not prevent a move towards offering some leeway and increasing the number of certified farms from the 862 currently listed.

In 2006 Brazil exported 333,000 tonnes of beef to the EU, of which 30,000 tonnes came to the UK.

The FUW is one of a number of European farming organisations campaigning to get the European Commission to do a U-turn over its persistent refusal to introduce a total ban on Brazilian beef imports.

And Mr Jones represented the union early last year at a meeting in London of Fairness for Farmers in Europe (FFE) which responded to the EU Ombudsman's initial views on their allegation of maladministration against the EC.

FFE wrote to the EU Ombudsman in July 2007 claiming maladministration by the EC over its repeated refusal to ban Brazilian beef imports to EU countries against the advice of its own Food and Veterinary Office (FVO).

''Successive inspections by the FVO have found serious irregularities regarding animal registration, identification, vaccination, as well as false certification of exports and breaches of EU residency requirements.

''The FVO also claimed there was no systemic audit system for animal health and little more than a questionable programme to monitor the efficacy of foot-and-mouth vaccination.

''There are further questions about the reliability of the tracking system to determine whether animals have been resident in a foot-and-mouth free region for 90 days prior to export of beef from those cattle.

''The EU inspectors also discovered that some Brazilian vets were not up to speed with the regulations for international trade.

"We are glad to hear that Mariann Fischer Boel has warned that she will not easily accept any leeway in the tracking of Brazilian beef,'' Mr Jones added.

Farmers' Union of Wales president Gareth Vaughan today urged the Chancellor to scrap plans to increase fuel duty in September by a further 2p per litre (ppl) in addition to the 2p introduced earlier this month.

Mr Vaughan originally wrote to Mr Darling in September 2007 urging him to defer the fuel duty increase scheduled for October 2007 but the Chancellor went ahead with a 2ppl increase then, another 2p on April 1 and a third rise of 2p is now planned for September.

"Despite recent price reductions the average price nowadays of diesel for Welsh motorists has gone back up to 102.7ppl and petrol is 95.4ppl.

"With fuel duty at the highest rate in Europe - and double the EU average - it accounts for almost half the cost of Welsh fuel prices which already compare badly with the 91.63ppl for unleaded petrol and 84.19ppl for diesel in southern Ireland and 37.19ppl for unleaded petrol and 40.11ppl for diesel in the US."

Mr Vaughan expressed his disappointment that fuel duty rises were being introduced yet again despite the extreme economic pressures on the agricultural industry and wider rural economy.

He was concerned rising costs of transportation were having a profound effect on the sustainability of the agricultural industry.

"The current economic climate, coupled with rising oil prices and a lack of investment in alternative fuel opportunities, has resulted in a significant increase in overheads for primary producers who cannot pass these costs up the marketing chain.

"The Chancellor must scrap next September's fuel duty rise because it gives us such an unfair playing field over many of our competitors and there is no doubt every commodity that has to be transported to the rural areas will now cost us much more in the future."

The European Commission should look at the full impact of new Less Favoured Area (LFA) criteria - including the abandonment of socio-economic factors - in light of information provided by Member States, the Farmers' Union of Wales said today.

"The EC has clearly accepted the need to look more carefully at the potential impact of applying a simplistic set of biophysical criteria across the European Union in order to assess LFA status," said FUW hill farming committee chairman Derek Morgan.

"However, they should also take the opportunity to properly assess the impact of shelving the current socio-economic criteria - a proposal that we believe would have a significant impact on our communities and environment."

The call came after the EC announced that Member States would be required to compare existing LFAs against those defined by a new set of eight "biophysical criteria" and send their results to the Commission by October 2009, so that a reformed scheme can be drawn up.

However, the Commission has stated that socio-economic objectives should be removed from the main aims of LFA payments and be made up for by targeted measures under other Axes of Pillar 2.

"Less Favoured Areas and previous area classifications have played a key role in sustaining Welsh upland communities and environments for many decades and changes to the criteria upon which they are based have the potential to damage valuable environments, while simultaneously causing upheaval in many communities," said Mr Morgan.

"Measures under other Axes will simply not make up for the damage caused by the declassification of areas currently recognised as being Less Favoured.

"Any model that increases economic pressures, either locally or nationally, will reduce the incentive for individuals to continue to manage land which will, in turn, have a detrimental impact on delicate natural environments that rely upon the continuity of farming.

"This would also weaken the framework within which future environmental measures might be applied, and would also effectively remove buffer zones from around many areas that are of environmental importance - buffers that are currently taken for granted despite being an integral part of wider ecosystems.

"The EC should now use this opportunity to take a step back and review their plans in totality."

Farmers were urged today to make their views known to the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) over a plan to give local councils widespread powers to analyse private water supplies and charge fees for carrying out the checks.

"A WAG consultation paper, issued under a European Council Directive, proposes that local authority staff take and analyse samples from small private supplies at least once a year and monitor larger supplies more frequently," said FUW senior policy officer Rhian Nowell-Phillips.

"They will monitor private supplies to check that they meet the drinking water quality standards and satisfy other requirements under the proposed Private Water Supplies (Wales) Regulations 2009 that determine whether water is wholesome and clean and is not a risk to human health."

Local authorities will be allowed to charge fees of between £75 and £435 when they carry out monitoring, up to £100 for each risk assessment, and up to £80 for each visit that it must make to take samples.

However, WAG proposes that there should be a joint fee, up to £125, where a local authority combines a visit to take samples with an inspection or investigation for the purposes of carrying out a risk assessment.

If you receive drinking water from a private supply, or are responsible for providing or maintaining a private supply, the local authority would normally contact you to let you know that an authorised person intends to visit to take samples and/or to carry out a risk assessment.

Where the quality of a private supply fails to meet the standards because the source is contaminated, or the water is not treated adequately, or the distribution system is in poor condition, the local authority would require you to take action to improve the supply.

The local authority would usually negotiate informally with you to agree what action you ought to take to remedy a failure, and by when. If you cannot solve the problem informally, then the local authority would require you to take action formally.

This would depend on the reasons for the failure and the level of any risk to human health. The responsible persons would then have to arrange and pay for all remedial action.

"It is obvious from the consultation paper that these proposed regulations give local authorities sweeping powers," said Ms Nowell-Phillips.

"We would urge farmers to make their views known to their nearest FUW county office well before the June 5 closing date for responses."

Responses can also be sent to: Phil Chatfield, Welsh Assembly Government, PWS Consultation, Climate Change and Water Division, 3rd Floor A02, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ, or by e-mail to: water.consultation@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Nominations are being invited for the Farmers' Union of Wales Pembrokeshire branch's 2009 Countryside Award which recognises the achievements of younger farmers in the county.

To be eligible for the award the nominee must be 40 years of age or under on January 1, 2009; actively involved in agricultural production or land management; and normally resident within Pembrokeshire.

"To ensure the future of the industry, it is essential that we acknowledge the hard work of younger farmers during these difficult times and nurture them," said county chairman Dafydd Williams.

"In presenting this award we hope that the determination of the younger generation of farmers in the county will be highlighted and applauded," he added.

A cash prize, perpetual trophy and a year's free FUW membership will be awarded. Further details and nomination forms can be obtained by telephoning the Pembrokeshire FUW Office on 01437 762913. All nominations must be submitted by Friday, May 22, 2009.

The award has gained greater importance since Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones launched a consultation on support for young farmers at last year's Royal Welsh Show. She said all sectors need young people to bring new ideas, energy and enthusiasm, and farming is no exception.

Encouraging young entrants to the industry can not only bring innovation and enthusiasm to farming, but it is also important in sustaining rural communities and the Welsh culture.

The publication of the consultation meets a One Wales commitment to support young entrants to farming, and includes proposals on how to use £2m of funding available from 2010 to best effect.

Ms Jones added: "Young entrants to the farming industry represent the future. Removing the barriers that young entrants face and supporting them as they set up their business has been a priority for me since I became Minister, and I am pleased to be publishing this consultation.

"I want it to be a topic of discussion and I want people to be looking towards the future of the industry. There are a number of ways we can provide support for young entrants including providing advice on marketing and business plans; one-to-one mentoring; encouraging joint ventures with established farmers to assist with succession and assisting with the issue of access to land and housing.

"Of course, there are challenges facing the industry, which is why it is vital that young entrants have the support they need to face up to these. They have a crucial role in the future of our food and farming industry and in maintaining the fabric of our rural communities."

Last year's winner of the FUW award, 36-year-old Robert Vaughan, was recognised for his enthusiastic devotion to diversification on his family's three farms high in the north Pembrokeshire hills

Presenting him with the trophy in the main ring at last August's Pembrokeshire County Show, Mr Williams said the award was originally launched to recognise younger farmers bucking the trend and continuing to work in the county's agricultural industry.

"Robert is a fine example of someone dedicated to working in agriculture within the county and he is a very worthy winner."

Robert runs a herd of 200 Longhorn cattle and a flock of 1,000 pedigree Lleyn and Welsh Mountain ewes on the family's Carn Edward group of traditional Welsh hill farms in the Gwaun Valley in north Pembrokeshire.

The farms - Penlan Uchaf, Llanerch and Penrhiw - encircle the Carn Edward stones on Carningli Common and his decision to start selling beef in boxes over three years ago has led to his recognition by the FUW.

The current bovine Tuberculosis (TB) valuation and compensation systems are an integral part of Welsh TB controls and should be retained but irresponsible behaviour should be penalised, says the Farmers' Union of Wales.

In its response to the Welsh Assembly Government's consultation on bovine TB compensation arrangements, the FUW argues it is wrong to penalise herd owners for cattle contact with infected wildlife, when successive governments have introduced legislation that has led directly to a massive increase in the numbers of TB susceptible wildlife.

Today FUW vice president Brian Walters said: "Given that scientific studies have attributed high-risk spread to protected wildlife, it would be completely unfair to punish farmers for a problem that has been created by past governments.

"The FUW agrees that compensation should provide an incentive for good practices, but only where such practices have been shown statistically to be effective in reducing incidences of bTB, are practical and affordable, and relate to factors which are within the direct influence and control of the herd owner."

The response also highlights the ambiguous findings of past studies of biosecurity measures. "All farmers should remain vigilant and, wherever practical, take steps to minimise the risk of disease transmission.

"However, scientists have concluded there is no universal solution for farm management to reduce the risk of a herd becoming a TB breakdown, as risk factors can change from year to year and be different from region to region.

"Measures that link compensation to biosecurity measures must therefore be statistically relevant and within a farmer's control."

The response also brands proposals to publish details of compensation paid to individuals as "fundamentally wrong".

Mr Walters said: "In terms of the financial and emotional impact of bTB for Welsh herd owners, studies by the University of Exeter have shown that the value of cattle slaughtered is around 66 per cent of the total cost of a breakdown, and that the disease effects economic performance and growth of farm businesses, while causing serious stress for farm families.

"Herd owners who receive compensation due to bTB do so as a result of circumstances that are beyond their control. They do not volunteer or apply to receive such payments, and have no control over the size of an outbreak.

"Due to the complexity of issues that relate to bTB breakdowns, such as disease vectors, the nature of farm business structures and the industry as a whole, and the consequential losses incurred by businesses, most members of the general public will never be in a position to view payments made to individuals in the context of the net losses suffered, and the extreme emotional stress that TB places on families.

"Above all else, since the publication of details of individual payments will have no impact on incidences of bTB, the FUW fails to see why this proposal should form part of a programme of activities aimed at eradicating bTB in Wales.

"The implication that the publication of compensation details could contribute to bTB control is no more valid that the assertion that publicising the wages of public servants would encourage them to take a more proactive approach to controlling endemic diseases."

The Farmers' Union of Wales today renewed its call for processors and supermarkets to stand by the dairy industry following a further spate of farmgate milk price cuts.

The union's milk and dairy produce committee chairman Eifion Huws expressed his bitter disappointment, stating that for some farmers the big reductions in price could be the last straw.

"During the last month we have seen processor after processor announcing price cuts and today's announcement by the Dairy Farmers of Britain (DFB) co-operative that they are cutting 2.2ppl off their milk price from April 1 will shatter confidence for many producers.

"Farmers are at the end of their tether and it is therefore vitally important that processors and supermarkets stand by the industry at this difficult time."

A new DairyCo report disclosed worrying statistics with 14% of dairy farmers stating they intend to leave the industry within the next two years and only 18% stating they have the confidence to expand their businesses.

"The gap between farmgate prices and the price consumers pay at the supermarket is ever growing and this is undermining farmers' confidence in the industry," added Mr Huws.

"UK milk production is at its lowest level for 34 years and therefore processors and supermarkets alike must pay a fair price to farmers in order to avoid a further fall in milk production.

"I believe that in the absence of an ombudsman it is imperative that the government meets with supermarkets and large retailers to ensure that farmers receive a fair price for their produce in order to bring stability back to the industry.

"As the DairyCo report indicates there is a need for all parts of the dairy supply chain to recognise the vulnerability of the supply base and work together to build farmer confidence."

The cost of implementing sheep and goat EID in just four of the EU's 27 Member States could total an astonishing £109 million, the Farmers' Union of Wales revealed today.

The startling figure was disclosed in a report by the Joint Research Centre, the body that advises the EU on technical issues, which compares costings for numerous EID implementation options in the UK, the Netherlands, Cyprus and Spain.

"Even the estimate of the cost of full EID implementation for the UK alone is more than £65 million," said FUW's hill farming committee chairman Derek Morgan, who represents the union on the Welsh Assembly's sheep EID group.

"This is a cost that will not be borne by our competitors from outside the EU and, once again, highlights the completely disproportionate expense of implementing a technology that can have major technical problems associated with it.

"I dread to think what the full costs to the EU sheep industry will be."

Even the cheapest option, which involves market reporting rather than on-farm reporting, would represent a cost of £31.024 million for the UK.

The study, requested by the EU's Directorate General for Health and Consumer Affairs (DG SANCO), involved an economic analysis of EID for different production forms present in the Community from 2010.

The costs of equipment, tagging, and reading were calculated for different implementation options applied in Cyprus, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK.

The options studied were: full implementation for all animals born after 2009; implementation with a slaughter lamb derogation; full implementation with all movements being reported by markets and slaughterhouses; and options that included EID for animals born before 2010.

The cost of the various options in the UK, which has the largest flock in the EU, ranged between £31 million and £90 million, while costs for the Spanish industry were between £16 million and £55 million.

"This report simply adds to the already overwhelming evidence that shows that the costs of EID are completely disproportionate, while the benefits are negligible, and could actually be negative in the case of a disease outbreak," said Mr Morgan, who has tested EID on his Llangurig sheep farm.

"We are committed to fighting this ridiculous legislation to the bitter end and this is yet more evidence that totally undermines the basis upon which the Council of Ministers has made its decisions.

"However, the industry must also brace itself and start planning on the assumption that it will come in next year, because the majority of Member States are hell bent on ignoring the evidence."

Farmers' Union of Wales president Gareth Vaughan today called for a national debate on the impact abolishing milk quotas will have on the Welsh dairy sector.

Last November the 27 EU agriculture ministers agreed to lift quotas by one per cent per year before scrapping them altogether in 2014-2015.

Mr Vaughan has written to Assembly rural affairs minister Elin Jones informing her the issue has attracted growing attention on the Continent during recent months, and prompted significant debate at last week's meeting of the EU Council of Ministers.

"There is growing concern amongst many farmers in Wales, and in other parts of the EU, that the full implications of the abandonment of the quota regime have not been properly recognised by the European Commission and others," Mr Vaughan wrote.

"Many believe that such a change would have a destabilising effect on an industry that is already suffering as a result of market volatility, and would have a particularly adverse impact for family farms."

Mr Vaughan told Ms Jones the FUW recognises the restrictions the current regime places on the industry's ability to react to market demands and believes a more flexible approach to such challenges is needed, rather than the wholesale liberalisation of the current regime.

These concerns were discussed at a meeting last April between the FUW and EU Agriculture Commissioner Fischer Boel and, while the Commissioner was "resolute in her belief that the quota regime should be abolished" by 2015, she also made it clear the matter would be revisited in 2010.

"Given this and the recent volatility of milk prices, there is a real need for the Welsh Assembly Government to engage in further discussions on the impact that abolishing the quota regime will have for the Welsh dairy sector.

"I believe this should happen as soon as possible in order to inform next year's review," Mr Vaughan added.

"It seems perverse that, while the global economy is reeling as a result of under-regulation of the financial sector, and the G20 are proposing far stricter controls, the Commission seems hell-bent on deregulating the milk regime.

"We do not want to find ourselves in a similar situation to the one we now face with regards to sheep EID, with Member States only realising the serious repercussions of what they have agreed t