Recently by Marian Jones

The Welsh Assembly Government's controversial land management scheme Glastir misses an opportunity to make a real difference to climate change, says the Farmers' Union of Wales today (Tuesday, 16 March).

"Glastir is missing the opportunity to make a real difference to climate change because it ignores the opportunities for sequestrating carbon from managed grazing and concentrates on tree planting. Such a measure is unlikely to be taken up by farmers as they would be reluctant to see agricultural land taken out of production with little gain," said the union's deputy policy director Rhian Nowell-Phillips.

"The Assembly Government is keen to promote Glastir as a land management scheme, but it has failed to 'think outside the box' to look at opportunities beyond those available under previous agri-environment schemes, which is disappointing given the emerging evidence about the contribution grazing systems can make to carbon uptake."

Ms Nowell-Phillips also expressed concern that bringing forward just one element of the targeted scheme could create even more confusion amongst farmers who are already not sure whether they will be able to access this part of the scheme.

"One of our concerns has been how difficult it will be for farmers to decide whether to go into the all-Wales element without knowing whether they will be accepted into the targeted element which is based on delivering six objectives including carbon and water storage, water quality, historic environment, biodiversity and access.

"The fact that the Minister has announced the early start of one of the elements of the scheme reinforces the FUW's view that the current timetable means that insufficient information is available to farmers who will need to indicate their interest in the scheme's ' targeted element' by ticking a box on their 2010 SAF form within the next few weeks.

"Farmers, like any other businessmen, need time to consider what is available to them under the provisions of the scheme before making a long-term business commitment.

"The FUW continues to demand a full economic impact assessment of the new scheme in view of the fact that the current Tir Mynydd scheme helped to avoid land abandonment and rural depopulation.

"Unless Glastir is made accessible and simpler there could be severe consequences for Welsh communities and environments, especially in the uplands."

The FUW also has great concern about the current timetable given the diverse problems associated with Glastir on common land and the problems that are arising with tenancy issues which are likely to preclude many farmers who may wish to access Glastir but through no fault of their own cannot meet the criteria.

"We fear it will be a complex enough process for normal farmland, but on common or tenanted land the complexities are multiplied due to the different ways in which common land is used in different areas and the types of tenancy and grazing agreements that exist in Wales."

The Farmers' Union of Wales Grand Council, comprising of leading members from all the union's 13 county branches, has urged Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones to have a "complete rethink" of the Welsh Assembly Government's (WAG) controversial Glastir land management scheme.

At a quarterly meeting of the Grand Council in Aberystwyth, delegates passed a resolution calling for a complete rethink of the scheme and demanded WAG to deliver an easily accessible and simpler scheme, with project officer support, that is attractive to farmers and landowners.

Chairman of the FUW's land use and parliamentary committee Richard Vaughan, of Pall Mall, Tywyn, who proposed the motion, said the scheme should include support for capital works at entry level, take into account the importance of common land in Wales, and review the necessity of establishing grazing associations to implement the scheme.

Mr Vaughan added: "The current Tir Mynydd scheme's objective is to support and maintain livestock production in the less productive farming areas of Wales in order to avoid land abandonment and rural depopulation. Therefore, if Glastir is not made accessible and simpler it could have severe consequences for Welsh communities and environments especially in Wales's uplands.

"Glastir represents a seed change for farmers in Wales and it's high time that the Assembly realised that farmers need time to adapt and to be given more details about the scheme so that they can make the right business decisions."

Seconding the motion, FUW Meirionnydd county chairman Robert W Evans, of Sylfaen, Barmouth, said due to the scarcity of firm details about the current scheme making a decision on whether to sign up was like going into a restaurant without knowing what's on the menu.

The Welsh Assembly Government's (WAG) decision to set up a working group to discuss and resolve issues and concerns raised by common land graziers over the introduction of the controversial Glastir land management scheme was welcomed by members of the Farmers' Union of Wales common land committee today.

"We have been calling for the establishment of this group for the past six months and raised the issue directly with the Minister on a number of occasions last year," said committee chairman Lorraine Howells. "We were, therefore, pleased when, in early January, WAG officials confirmed that this group would be set up.

"The first meeting was held on 17 February, and further meetings will be held on a monthly basis."

Miss Howells is a member of the Glastir Commons Working Group along with FUW policy director Dr Nick Fenwick and chairman of the union's hill farming committee Derek Morgan.

She told today's meeting: "We have been lobbying the Assembly regarding the particular problems associated with common land and Glastir and asking them to set this group up since last summer, so it is good that it is finally off the ground."

However, the committee was unanimous in expressing concern regarding the current timetable given the diverse problems associated with Glastir on common land, and reiterated calls for the scheme's implementation date to be postponed for 12 months.

"Almost 18 per cent of Welsh farms have common land, and this is therefore of critical importance to Welsh agriculture, especially in those areas where common land makes up the majority of farmland.

"Everything must be done to make Glastir accessible to as many commoners throughout Wales as possible but this will take time. The transition from LFA payments, in the form of Tir Mynydd, to the Glastir agri-environmental scheme means a massive escalation in eligibility and compliance criteria.

"This will be a complex enough process for normal farmland, but on common land the complexities are multiplied due to the different ways in which common land is used in different areas, and the diverse range of habitats that exist on Welsh commons.

"Tir Mynydd and its predecessors have helped stem rural depopulation and maintain livestock for decades. If we do not get Glastir right for common land it will have severe consequences for Welsh communities and environments, and accelerate the abandonment of the ancient hefting systems that have defined much of Wales''s uplands."

Ynys Môn (Anglesey) MP Albert Owen's Private Member's Bill calling for the appointment of a Grocery Market Ombudsman has made major progress towards becoming law, Farmers' Union of Wales vice president Eifion Huws said today.

"The Bill, which enjoys cross-party support, needed 35 MPs to vote for it during its second reading in the Commons this morning and I am very pleased that it received 44 votes with none in opposition," said Mr Huws, a dairy farmer on Anglesey.

"By clearing this hurdle the Bill has made major progress to becoming law and we strongly hope the big supermarkets will not play for time and try to reduce the powers of the proposed Ombudsman as it passes through parliament.

"The Bill will now be referred to a standing committee and will need continued Government support to proceed further. The FUW will continue to give Mr Owen its enthusiastic backing and we sincerely hope his fellow Labour MPs will also give him their full support.

"The FUW has vigorously backed Mr Owen's campaign to create greater choice and quality for consumers while providing a fair deal to supermarket suppliers and I was delighted to travel to Westminster this week, together with the union's Anglesey county chairman, vice chairman and executive officer, to show our total support for his efforts.

"His Bill will enable the Government to implement the Competition Commission's recommendation for the creation of a new independent arbiter with the power to settle disputes between major retailers and their suppliers and to investigate possible breaches of the recently introduced Groceries Code of Practice.

"Both the Government and the Opposition have already indicated their support for the principle of an Ombudsman. Today's vote is a major step forward towards fairness for consumers above all but also for suppliers."

A suggestion that dairy cows and some beef cattle be permanently housed so the methane gas they produce can be captured is only a small part of a proposed new strategy on how agriculture and rural land use in Wales can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Farmers' Union of Wales.

The union's deputy director of policy Rhian Nowell-Phillips said the report, presented by the Land Use Climate Change Group to Assembly rural affairs minister Elin Jones, contained a range of data, evidence and possible scenarios which would help inform the debate on future policy decisions.

"We may not believe that everything in it will, or should, happen but for once it does challenge some of the current assumptions that livestock production will have to be drastically reduced in Wales if the Assembly wants to mitigate methane production," she said.

"Food security will be an amazing motivator in the future and I have no doubt there will be a desire to balance the need for increased food production with ways to capture and reuse greenhouse gases.

"In the meantime, some of the practical aspects of the report could help start processes to help farmers identify the win wins for them in starting to mitigate climate change. For example, the use of feed additives to reduce methane, or the reuse of agricultural by-products such as biogas, heat and water, could help reduce fixed costs."

The Farmers' Union of Wales today welcomed the conclusions of the Assembly's rural development sub-committee's inquiry into the new Glastir land management scheme outlined in a letter to rural affairs minister Elin Jones.

The letter by sub-committee chairman Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM calls for greater clarity over the scheme. The chairman of the FUW's land use and parliamentary committee Richard Vaughan gave evidence to the sub-committee when it met in Dolgellau last month.

He highlighted the confusion among farmers and demanded that the scheme be deferred until there is greater clarity of all the options.

"The union fully supports the sub-committee's recommendations urging the Assembly Government to review its decision not to provide project officer support for the entry-level scheme and to consider whether its offices have the capacity to deal with increased demand for support from farmers," said Mr Vaughan.

"Glastir represents a seed change for farmers in Wales and it's high time that the Assembly realised that farmers need time to adapt and more details about the scheme so that they can make the right business decisions."

The Wales Rural Observatory's report on "Deep Rural Localities" and many of the comments at the Assembly's debate on its findings yesterday are similar to concerns often expressed by the Farmers' Union of Wales.

The union's president Gareth Vaughan said today: "Many of the conclusions of the Wales Rural Observatory report are in line with the union's ongoing concerns, highlighted over several years, and we are not surprised that they support our standpoint on such issues.

"We have regularly called for planning changes to allow for more affordable housing in a bid to stem the migration of young people from rural areas. Increased public transport provision and improved broadband and mobile phone coverage are also a crucial necessity for those living and working in Wales' numerous isolated communities.

"These services are no longer merely desirable for rural dwellers - they are vital in enabling rural businesses to survive in these modern times. Farmers are increasingly required to access the internet to comply with new legislation affecting their livelihoods and traditional way of life and the FUW has long campaigned for reliable broadband and mobile phone reception to be widely extended.

"Meanwhile, rural dwellers have to face up to higher council taxes than urban areas, increasing their cost of living, yet still experience repeated cuts in vital services."

The Farmers' Union of Wales has told Welsh Assembly Rural Development Sub-Committee members that the implementation date of the new Glastir land management scheme should be delayed by 12 months and the schemes it replaces should be extended for the same period.

The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) intends replacing Tir Mynydd, Tir Gofal, Tir Cynnal and the Organic scheme with the Glastir all-Wales land management scheme later this year.

But during an evidence-gathering session at Dolgellau, the chairman of the FUW's Land Use and Parliamentary Committee Richard Vaughan told the Rural Development Sub-Committee farmers had not been given enough time to consider the implications of Glastir on their businesses before the application window opens.

"Feedback from farmers who have participated in the pilot scheme suggests that Glastir is not as easy to enter as is being suggested by the WAG," said Mr Vaughan.

"The FUW believe that the scheme needs to be fully piloted before being rolled out and we have already made representations to the rural affairs minister Elin Jones to defer its implementation.

"The scheme should not be rushed out to meet an Assembly Government timetable which may result in the need for its early review if farmers don't enter the scheme.

"We do not see why the scheme is being rushed through and we have pressed home the fact that it should be deferred so that it can be put together with thought and utilising the practical experience of the unions to ensure it is workable and realistic."

Mr Vaughan added that the FUW doubts whether the Assembly's divisional offices will be able to cope with farmers' applications and interviews in 2010 and believes WAG has severely underestimated the ability and knowledge required by farmers to develop their own plans by the time they go to interview.

The Farmers' Union of Wales has linked up with Environment Agency Wales to help Welsh farmers manage their agricultural waste better.

Recent research suggests Welsh farmers need more assistance with the problems of dealing with farm waste and a useful learning tool is now available in Welsh and English by clicking on the "Farm Waste No Bull" link on the FUW's website: www.fuw.org.uk

FUW president Gareth Vaughan said a recent "SME-nvironment" report by environmental guidance website NetRegs.gov.uk reveals the problem is farmers' recognition of specific waste regulations rather than compliance.

"The Hazardous Waste and Duty of Care regulations were both found to be misunderstood by farmers," he added. "Many had not heard of these regulations (Hazardous Waste 27 per cent and Duty of Care 27 per cent), meaning that they aren't taking advantage of specific support available to help them meet these rules.

"The research also reveals that while a third of farmers store agricultural waste on site, many do not recognise the important legislation which determines what can be stored, for how long and where permits are required. This research points to a need for clearer communication and support for farmers in recognising and so managing waste regulations."

The Environment Agency's NetRegs website is also seeking to clear up the confusion with its relaunched Learning about Agricultural Waste tool at: www.netregs.gov.uk/farmwaste

It provides the farming community with seven simple subjects for battling waste - including guidance on Hazardous Waste, Duty of Care and on-site storage and transport. It also details legislation specific to Wales.

Environment Agency in Wales land quality policy and strategy manager Simon Neale said: "Farmers' resources are stretched, particularly in the current climate, but we know that investing in environmental compliance can save rather than cost money.

"The good news for farmers is that the NetRegs' report reveals many in the agricultural community are already seeing the financial rewards of more effective waste management, through reduced operating costs and a more motivated workforce.

"We talked to farmers on the ground to find out what they would find helpful and our Waste Tool has been developed based on their feedback. The result is a single online access point to all the necessary information on waste legislation and we hope it's going to really help farmers."

Farmers' Union of Wales members have given their overwhelming support for an EU dairy fund distribution that favours smaller dairy producers.

The EU agreed in December 2009 to allocate €300m to help the European dairy sector which has been severely affected by low milk prices. Wales's share is believed to be around £3m.

Following a meeting of the FUW's milk and dairy produce committee in Aberystwyth, chairman Eifion Huws said: "The consultation was considered by the FUW's 12 county branches and by the union's milk and dairy produce committee.

"The overwhelming majority of members agreed that Wales should opt for a payment of 0.5 pence per litre (ppl) on the first 100,000 litres of production plus an estimated payment of 0.15ppl on production over 100,000 litres. This would target smaller businesses which, on average, have a lower profitability per litre.

"Members acknowledged the fact that all dairy producers had suffered as a result of low farmgate prices and high production costs, and that the profitability per litre was highly variable between farms.

"However, it was agreed that, on average, smaller producers had higher production costs and were, by definition, unable to benefit from production bonuses and other production related advantages.

"We are hardly talking about large sums of money here but the fund will, nevertheless, provide some relief for struggling dairy producers, and the union is firmly in favour of directing support where it is most needed."