Connect with us
Advertisement
Advertisement

Farming

New European policies ‘must have family farms at heart’

Published

on

ANY NEW policies adoptedfuw by the EU Parliament following yesterday’s elections must ensure they have family farms at their heart, according to Farmers’ Union of Wales president Emyr Jones. 

Speaking on the eve of last weekend’s Royal Welsh Spring Festival, Mr Jones said that between May 22 and 25 people across the EU will elect 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who, alongside the Council of Ministers and the European Commission, will decide policies affecting our daily lives, more so for farmers than any other section of the community. Mr Jones was launching the FUW’s latest campaign “Supporting Family Farms Since 1955” that coincides with this year’s UN International Year of Family Farming which is highlighting the potential family farmers have to eradicate hunger, preserve natural resources and promote sustainable development. He added: “Given the diversity of climates, topography, cultures and economies across the EU, it is no surprise that even the most pro- Europeans can become frustrated with Brussels dictates which make no sense in a region such as Wales, while those bitterly opposed to the EU have a field day blaming all the ills of the world on our membership. “Yet, despite the focus in the UK press on the issue of EU membership and where the balance of powers between Member States and Brussels should lie, reporting of the daily deliberations of the EU Parliament regarding issues which we might support, or bitterly oppose, remains scant at the most. “This leaves members of the general public detached from the politics and policies they so often bemoan, allowing pro and anti-EU politicians to blame the EU whenever it suits their agendas to do so, and Governments to hide their own insatiable appetites for red tape behind the convenient scapegoat of EU Regulations. “With agriculture taking the most significant portion of the European budget, and bearing the brunt of so many disproportionate and costly regulations, Wales’ farmers must consider carefully the implications of all the options now being discussed.” Those options are: to allow the EU to continue on its present course, which many believe will lead to a United States of Europe; to try and restore it to something more akin to the Common Market we voted to remain a part of in 1975; or to pull out altogether, leading to a full restoration of sovereignty but with no guaranteed access to our most important markets and the common agricultural policies which are part and parcel of that access. “The FUW’s current position is simply that we support EU membership – hardly surprising given that successive UK Governments have made it clear that they wish to increase food imports from outside the EU and dismantle the CAP – a policy which provides essential incomes for Welsh farming families and ensures plentiful, safe and affordable food for EU citizens,” said Mr Jones. “And, of course, we need only look back to the 2001 FMD outbreak and the accompanying export ban to see the impact that being closed out of the common market has on prices. “However, Welsh farmers have much to be aggrieved about when it comes to the suffocating and costly bureaucracy that emanates from the EU, and many wish for a return to the halcyon days when food production and common sense took priority over paperwork and illogical rules. “Whatever our views, we must weigh up the implications of all options with our heads as well our hearts. Welsh agriculture and our rural communities currently rely on the CAP and access to EU markets, and those who wish to see us operating outside the EU must provide valid economic assessments and policies which set out how a collapse in rural incomes and food production would be avoided. “We must also be aware that a renegotiation of powers could centre on the renationalisation of agricultural policies, with the focus not on reducing burdensome EU Regulations, but on implementing key recommendations from the 2005 Treasury/Defra ‘Vision for the CAP’ – a blueprint for dismantling agricultural support and increasing food imports. “Again, we need solid proposals and assurances that any renationalisation of powers will not lead to the collapse of Welsh agriculture and rural incomes. “Those assessments, analyses and policies must have at the heart of them the Welsh family farm: farms which have the highest productivity per hectare, are responsible for the overwhelming majority of Welsh food production and form the backbone of our rural communities.”

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Farming

Pig farmers and meat processor join forces to add value to pork

Published

on

A NEW co-operative formed between West Wales pig farmers and a meat supplier is allowing pork from herds born and reared within the region to be transported for processing just a short distance in a low-throughput abattoir – reducing stress on the animals, providing low food miles meat for consumers and improving producer margins.

The eight Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire-based farmers were brought together by the Farming Connect Agrisgôp initiative after the idea was discussed by Fishguard meat supplier and butcher Martyn Lloyd and Agrisgôp leader Lilwen Joynson.

Martyn had been a member of another Agrisgôp group where Lilwen had helped him to develop his idea for a new processing facility and later, at a Farming Connect mentoring meeting, the idea for the Red Dragon Porc Cyf co-operative was established.

Martyn and his wife, Danielle, had been unable to source low food miles pork for their customers.

“We could get beef and lamb and we have our own poultry but what we were missing was pork, we did our best to find Welsh pork for customers but that pork came with a lot of food miles and that doesn’t fit with our business ethos,’’ Martyn explains.

Developing an abattoir on their farm at Cilshafe presented a solution.

“We wanted to get some pork producers on board, to help them advance their businesses,’’ says Martyn.

“There are a lot of small pig producers in west Wales and many were struggling to work out how best to get their meat to the market but with an existing customer base we could help. We looked to Agrisgôp to help to bring that to life.’’

After the first Agrisgôp meeting, facilitated by Lilwen, the idea took shape.

Agrisgôp is a fully-funded management development programme that encourages eligible farmers to get together to not only develop their businesses, but to personally gain confidence and skills through action learning.

And this is what happened for the Red Dragon Porc Cyf members.

Farmers had been receiving inconsistent prices for their pigs when they marketed as individual businesses and their ability to supply a butcher directly was constrained as meeting supply volume requirements was tricky.

“The farmers shared a mission and were guided on putting their ideas into action,’’ Lilwen explains.

Building trust and confidence was crucial to the process of forming a cooperative.

“Collaboration and open sharing are definitely key,’’ says Lilwen.

“Differences of opinion and thinking had to be overcome and a set of rules and values adopted with individuals accepting that it had to work for the majority since they were no longer operating as individual businesses.’’

For some it even meant changing breeding patterns and breed type to accommodate market demands.

At the end of 2024, Red Dragon Porc Cyf had already marketed £43,000 worth of pork, including sausages which captured awards at last year’s Royal Welsh Winter Fair.

In April, the missing part of the local pork jigsaw slotted into position when the Lloyds started processing pork at their own Food Standards Agency-approved abattoir.

Until then, co-operative members including Will Kerr had to transport their pigs further to be processed.

“We didn’t have any control over prices, the margins were very small,’’ Will admits. “Martyn opening the abattoir in Fishguard has been the catalyst we needed.’’

Will has six Welsh pig breeding sows, which he runs alongside suckler beef and sheep enterprises at his family’s farm, Blaenawen, at Glanrhyd.

He had long been frustrated at the perception of pork being, in his words “the cheap cousin’’ of beef and lamb.

While it has become commonplace for butchers to display the full history of the beef and lamb they are selling, Will points out that this is rarely applied to pork because it is largely sourced wholesale or has been imported.

“We too are now in a position to tell the exciting story of our pork,’’ says Will, who farms with his parents, Mark and Kip.

He sees a major advantage in being part of a co-operative. “As a group we are more powerful, it gives us many advantages, we are already getting a better price for our pigs.

“Without Agrisgôp we would never have come together so we are grateful to Martyn for initiating it with Farming Connect and to Lilwen for pulling us all together.’’

Another member of the group, Ed Walker, also sees big value in collective marketing, that “strength in numbers’’.

“As eight producers we are on a par with commercial farmers as we can offer consistency of supply but we are still individual small producers too.’’

The businessman-turned-farmer produces around 600 pigs a year on an outdoor system at 46-acre Model Farm near Tenby.

His 22 breeding sows are a mixture of Large Whites crossed with a Welsh boar and Oxford Sandy and Blacks which he crosses to a Large White.

Keeping pigs started as hobby, alongside running his own civil engineering business, but it is now more or less a full-time job, with a part-time helper too.

Almost all his sales are through Red Dragon Porc Cyf although he is also licenced to sell meat from the farm as Tenby Woodland Pork.

Before the abattoir was established at Cilshafe, he would need to make a 150-mile round trip to the facility at Maesteg.

The next stage for the co-operative could be to establish a meat box scheme.

The throughput of pigs through the Lloyds’ abattoir, which also processes other livestock, will be small initially but that is projected to increase as sales gain momentum.

The facility has so far has created four full-time jobs and more could follow.

Picture caption:

Collaborating on pork marketing: Pictured from the left are Tom Young, Nic Caine, Martyn Lloyd, Ed Walker, Will Kerr and Lilwen Joynson

Continue Reading

Farming

Robots could help check biodiversity loss – new study

Published

on

ROBOTS could help track biodiversity loss across the world’s land masses, according to a new study.

Already widely used for monitoring ocean ecosystems, the use of robotic and autonomous systems for observing biodiversity on-land has not previously been extensively researched.

Dr Fred Labrosse from Aberystwyth University’s Department of Computer Science is part of the first systematic attempt to evaluate the technology’s potential to look at changes in plant and animal life across the planet.

Experts from more than a hundred countries collaborated on the study, which explored how technology could help conservationists accurately track species’ population changes.

Specialists identified four main types of barriers to biodiversity monitoring: site access, species identification, handling and storing data, and power and connectivity.

Experts then identified technologies that could overcome those barriers and how they could work in extreme environments. They also identified several emerging technologies, such as novel sensors and biodegradable robots, which could help.

The study published today (22 May 2025) in Nature Ecology & Evolution, considered both the challenges and the opportunities of using robots for monitoring biodiversity. Key benefits include the ability to survey over large spatial scales, identify species in real-time, and handle high data volumes. Challenges that would need to be overcome include the need for high volumes of ‘training data’ for machine learning for species identification and power availability limitations.

The research concluded that automated and robotic technology would be a useful way to supplement, rather than replace, existing methods.

Dr Fred Labrosse, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at Aberystwyth University said:

“Our study highlighted the difference made by adopting an interdisciplinary approach. It provided an opportunity for robotics experts to understand the challenges of biodiversity monitoring, and for conservationists to learn about cutting-edge technology which could assist them. It was a real meeting of minds and showcased the importance of collaboration between biodiversity specialists and robotic scientists to pave the way for effective co-development of future technologies and innovations.”

The research was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council’s UK-Robotics and Autonomous Systems Network.

Continue Reading

Farming

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority launches innovative farming programme

Published

on

A NEW scheme has been launched to help farmers and landowners across the National Park work together – improving habitats, protecting wildlife and building long-term landscape resilience.

Ffermio Bro, funded by the Welsh Government and running through to March 2028, forms part of a wider effort to strengthen collaborative land management across Wales’s Designated Landscapes.

Rooted in the farming community, the scheme brings people together to deliver meaningful environmental improvements – supporting nature-friendly practices and helping to create healthy, connected ecosystems across the Park.

Arwel Evans, Farm Conservation Liaison Officer at the Park Authority, said: “Pembrokeshire has a rich agricultural heritage that has shaped our landscape – from the milk and beef produced on lush pastures to our famous ‘Tato Newy’ (early potatoes). Farmers have been custodians of the land for generations, and through our new Ffermio Bro scheme, we hope to support them in building resilient enterprises while helping our declining wildlife thrive in the future.”

The scheme offers several ways for farmers and landowners to collaborate, depending on their location and shared priorities. Some projects will focus on thematic goals, with farms across the Park working toward common outcomes without needing to form formal clusters. Others may involve catchment-based collaboration, where farmers along the same river or stream coordinate efforts to improve water quality. There is also support for more locally based work, such as joint initiatives on common land or projects that help connect habitats across the landscape.

Applications for funding under £10,000 will be assessed by the Ffermio Bro team, while larger projects will go before a dedicated panel.

Ffermio Bro focuses on a number of interconnected priorities that support sustainable land management. These include improving fresh water management to protect rivers, streams and aquatic ecosystems; promoting regenerative farming techniques that build soil health and support long-term food production; and safeguarding shared grazing land through commons protection.

The scheme also supports the restoration of traditional boundaries, such as hedgerows and stone walls, which are a distinctive feature of the Pembrokeshire landscape. In addition, funding is available for projects that help conserve and enhance the Park’s wildlife through targeted species protection.

Arwel Evans added: “This is a farmer-led scheme, and we welcome all ideas for improving habitats and nurturing wildlife.”

Farmers and landowners within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park can now submit Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the first funding window, which closes on Monday 23 June 2025.

For more information or to start an application, contact the Ffermio Bro team at [email protected] or complete the Expression of Interest form online at www.pembrokeshirecoast.wales/ffermio-bro.

Continue Reading

News10 hours ago

Lifeboat crew welcomed with bacon rolls after saving sailor off Grassholm

Angle crew rescue exhausted sailor in early hours ANGLE RNLI lifeboat crew were paged in the early hours of Wednesday...

Crime1 day ago

Death at Pembroke Dock property sparks police probe – arrests made

Three in custody on suspicion of Class A drug supply following incident A HEAVY police presence was seen on Glenview...

Education1 day ago

Council shifts stance after backlash over Welsh education survey

New pledge to gather school choice data from all parents — not just those choosing Welsh-medium education PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL...

News1 day ago

Natural Resources Wales criticised over incident response cuts, closures and tax blunder

NRW accused of risking long-term damage to Welsh environment A SENEDD committee has issued a scathing report on Natural Resources...

Charity2 days ago

Angle lifeboat crew respond to three callouts in just twelve hours

More than eleven hours at sea for volunteer RNLI team ANGLE RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat crew were launched three times within...

Community3 days ago

Plans for ‘alien’ Tenby harbour gate refused after outcry

COUNCIL plans for ‘alien’ and ‘industrial’ metal gates to prevent vehicle entry on to Tenby’s iconic harbour have been refused...

Sport4 days ago

Bluebirds beat Caernarfon Town 3–1 to book place in UEFA Europa Conference League

HAVERFORDWEST COUNTY AFC will once again fly the flag for Pembrokeshire in Europe after a thrilling 3–1 win over Caernarfon...

Community5 days ago

Paddle-out protest sees 200 take to the water in Broad Haven

National day of action calls out sewage pollution across the UK BROAD HAVEN was the scene of a dramatic demonstration...

Community5 days ago

Hundreds turn out for Battle of Goodwick Moor reenactment

Community celebrates Pembrokeshire’s medieval heritage with spectacular living history event GOODWICK Moor was transformed into a living battlefield on Saturday...

Community5 days ago

Hundreds gather in Narberth for colourful Eisteddfod parade and proclamation ceremony

Sun shines on town as Gorsedd of Bards declares 2026 Eisteddfod plans CROWDS lined the streets of Narberth on Saturday...

Popular This Week