Glamorgan NFU Conference 25th January

Glamorgan NFU Conference this year has guest speaker DrPrysor Williams starts at 7.30pm at the Grove Golf Club Cornelly please click link for directions.

Dr Prysor Williams

A lecturer in Environmental Management at Bangor University also a farmers’ son from Pandy Tudur near Llanrwst he is closely involved with running the farm and has collaborated with NFU Cymru to publish papers on Bluetongue “The Veterinary Record” and on sheep scab copntrol in “Preventative Veterinary Medicine” .Ongoing projects include developing an alternative fallen stock strategy,investigating the potential of anaerobic digestion to reduce carbon footprint of agriculture and as a pollution abatement technology, and quatifying the environmental footprint of the red meat sector in WAles relative to industry aspirations.

This will be an interesting evening with a buffet supplied by HSBC and NFU Cymru  update from Stepen James Deputy President.

Hope to see you there

NFU Conference Poster

Some interesting consultations and conversations involving Europe and CAP reform please let your views be heard

Join the Common Agricultural Policy Conversation

Preparing for the 2014-2020 European Programmes: A Reflection Exercise

2012 AGM a great year ahead………..

Glamorgan WFU invite you to come along and join them for their 2012 AGM:

Wednesday 7.30pm at Heol Y Cyw Rugby Club

Directions to Rugby Club here

 

The AGM will be followed by a business meeting to arrange the programme for the year please bring along suggestions & ideas for interesting events.

To confirm your attendance or further details please contact the secretary Sally  078120 12255

 Hope you can join us

The WFU’s strength lies in the fact that it is the only organisation committed to:-

• Promoting demand for British produce.
• Encouraging farmers and growers to practise better marketing.                      
• Ensuring British produce is available and well promoted.
• Lobbying against unfair competition.

Happy New Year

Glamorgan WFU wish all a very prosperous New Year if you wish to join us at our meetings and visits please email Sally

New national website at www.wfu.org.uk

Things on the horizon:

• Ban Chinese Lanterns see side links to sign petition
• Farmhouse Breakfast Week Events 22nd-27th January
• Annual Conference Bicton College Devon April keep an eye on www.wfu.org.uk for details
• Staffordshire WFU planning permanent memorial for Women’s Land Army @WLATribute

Follow WFU on twitter @WFU1

Chritmas Meal 7th Dec

The Glamorgan WFU  Annual Dinner will be held at the

Prince of Wales pub  Kenfig on December 7th 2011 at 7.30pm.

The guest speaker will be John Homfray of Penllyn Farm estate talking on his farming and diversification projects, which should be a very interesting talk.

To book your place please email Sally

We had a great time last year at this venue but watch out for ghosts

A  Good night, Good Venue, Good company, Good food so see you all there ………………………………

NFU say think twice!

Asking all to think twice for Halloween and Bonfire night, please substitute your chinese lanterns for pumpkins!

Better for the animals, better for the environment and what you scoop out can be recycled for food

Check out the recipes here: Love Food Hate Waste

Please have a great time and think twice?

Still time to sign to help Ban the lanterns

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/banchineselanterns/signatures

NEWS

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8848057/Calls-to-ban-Chinese-lanterns-over-wildlife-fears.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-13934378

http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Campaign-ban-danger-lanterns/story-13427752-detail/story.html

An Insight into “GM” Conference

The Welsh Branches of   WFU present a

 conference:

 

Held at Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Science

(IBERS)

The William Davies Hall

Gogerddan Campus Aberystwyth

SY23 3EB

Friday October 7th 2011 9.30 for 10.00 am start until 4pm

Guest Speakers

representatives from Welsh Government and IBERS

Jill Evans MEP

Dr Brian John

Dr Michael Antoniou Guys Hospital

Dr Naheeda Portocarero Scientist

Michael Hart Farmer

charge £8.00 to cover refreshments and lunch

RSVP by Sept 29th

Joan Jones WFU Welsh Coordinator

Pantgwyn, Synod Inn, Llandysul Ceredigion SA44 6JN 01239 654252

or Sally Joseph WFU Welsh Coordinator

Should be a good debate

Pride in Farming Families in the Vale

‘Pride in our Farming Families’

Calling all farmers in the rural Vale of Glamorgan……..

 

Is your farm in need of a boost? Do you have an idea

how to boost your farm’s income?

Would you like up to £40,000* to support your
development?

 

A new initiative called ‘Pride in our Farming
Families’ has been set up to provide a major boost to the Farming Families in
the rural** Vale of Glamorgan.

The ‘Pride in our Farming Families’ project
supports farmers in the rural Vale of Glamorgan in developing new aspects of their
business. Creative Rural Communities have launched the grant scheme to encourage
local farmers to find long term solutions that will allow you to continue
farming as you always have, but also to subsidise your income in more creative
or innovative ways.

Our aim is to
help sustain our farming community. By working together with our farming
families to develop new and innovative ways to boost your income, we hope we
can help sustain the local farming economy in the rural Vale.

Your idea needs
to introduce a new, non-agricultural
activity to your farm. Unique and innovative projects which add to the vitality
and appeal of the Vale of Glamorgan will be particularly welcomed. Your ideas
must demonstrate that it will boost the income to the farm as well as
generating or sustaining jobs. For
further information contact:

Nia Hollins on 01446 775388

email nhollins@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

Senior Rural Regeneration Officer at Creative Rural Communities

Creative Rural Communities is a regeneration and economic development initiative led by the Vale of Glamorgan Council in
partnership with various public, private and voluntary sector organisations. The project is funded through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

* Grants are available up to a maximum £40k or 70% of the total project cost, whichever is the lowest.

** Rural Vale of Glamorgan does not include the wards of Barry, Penarth or Llandough.

311 Farming Families – Notes guidelines (3)

Anaerobic Digestion

Next meeting ……..

with

Lynwyn Anthony 

Heol Y Cyw Rugby Club 7.30pm Sept 7th

Very interesting topic come and hear all about the progress and the facts on carbon savings and production of renewable energy.

Anagest

Please contact Sally for further info

Love to see you there Heol y Cyw Rugby Club

Don’t forget you can follow WFU  on twitter @wfu1

The Cow’s Perspective on bTB

Cow 22 – What did I do Wrong?

Here we are pushed inside

This is usual the old cow cried

Hustled and bustled into the crush

The yolk shuts with a rush

Then the vet jabs me in the neck

Four days later he’ll be back to check.

A few days later we go back inside

Knowing before some of us have died

Standing there we can only chew

There’s nothing else we can do

He says just get the next one through

It’s only his job he’ll be back for two.

60 gone through they’re all ok

Then it’s my turn, hope I stay

“This one’s got it I’m sorry to say”

Farmer stands there in dismay

‘This has ruined my bloody day’

Now I know I’m on my way.

They get my number from my ear

The DEFRA man will soon be here

The wagon comes along the lane

I know I’ll never see these girls again

As the ramp hits the floor

I’ve never seen this one before.

“Come on girl” the farmer said

Hanging down his weary head

“15 years I have milked you now

I think you are my favourite cow

Got your daughters

They’re all the same”

Don’t you hate the TB ‘game’?

All because the governments knew

The badgers used our field for the loo!

What makes me laugh, I hate to say

The badgers get to live another day!

By Farmer Rob

Please read the Trilogy

bTB WFU 2010 Trilogy

More Chinese Lantern News

sign the petition to ban lanterns here

TB & Badgers Wales?

 WOMEN’S
FOOD & FARMING UNION

P R E S S R E L E A S E

TB & Badgers

Members of the Women’s Food
& Farming Union are delighted that the Secretary of State Rt Honourable Mrs
Caroline Spelman MP has today announced in the House of Commons the possible proposed pilot areas where there will be
a cull of badgers, following a consultation with stakeholders.

WFU Members have promoted a
campaign to educate the general public regarding the problem of unhealthy
badgers in rural communities. They have published a ‘TB Trilogy’ to explain to
the general public why a cull of affected badgers is regrettably a necessity if
Bovine TB is to be eradicated from the countryside.

The organisation’s key role
since the Women’s Food & Farming Union was formed is to ‘Link Producer with
Consumer’ by explaining the complex and difficult farming issues in a way that
everyone can understand and relate to. The ‘TB Trilogy’ is in three parts and
explains the background of the problem in non technical language, aimed at a
different level for each age group, level three being for those who require
more comprehensive information

bTB tier1

bTB tier2

bTB tier 3

The United Kingdom has the largest
incidence of Bovine TB in Europe and the developed world. No country in the
world, with a reservoir of disease in wildlife has
eradicated TB, without removing significant wildlife vector.

A WFU Spokesperson said, “We welcome this decision as we are concerned about the future of food security in this country. If we continue to slaughter huge numbers of cattle each year (32,000 in 2010) as well as the cost to humans there is the inevitable financial loss.

As wives, mothers and daughters
we are concerned about the emotional strain TB is inflicting on farming
families and the potential health problems related with the levels of stress
and also the associated risks with working with infected animals. As an
organisation we are concerned about the increased cases of TB being identified
in other domestic species. As custodians of the countryside we are concerned
for the welfare of the badger. We have no desire to eradicate badgers but we
believe that it is in their best interest to eradicate those infected with TB
in order to protect the species. The badger is not an endangered species but
those infected with TB endure pain and stress in the final stages of the
disease and die a horrible death. Ultimately, it is as much in the interest of
the badger and the general public that Bovine TB is eradicated as it is in the
interest of the farmer. As an organisation we would very much like to promote
the return of a strong healthy badger population in future years following a
cull to eradicate disease”.

The fact is, we are never going
to eradicate Bovine TB in badgers or cattle unless we do something to drain the
reservoir of disease in the badger population, which will otherwise continue to
re infect cattle, other wildlife and their own species, no matter how many
cattle are slaughtered.

bTB WFU 2010 Trilogy

The WFU TB Trilogy explains the history, science and reason why sick badgers need to be removed in order to
halt the spread of Bovine TB and ultimately eradicate this disease in the UK.
To view the TB Trilogy go to www.wfu.org.uk on the Devon branch page or visit www.defra.gov.uk
for further information.