[caption id="attachment_5821" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] (L-R) Monmouthshire MP David TC Davies, FUW senior policy officer Dr Hazel Wright, FUW vice president Brian Walters, Rhys Parry, FUW president Glyn Roberts and FUW Gwent county executive officer Glyn Davies.[/caption]

Cross border differences in bTB cattle control measures and concerns surrounding the proposed provision of open access farm-level Welsh bovine TB data next year were some of the issues highlighted to Monmouthshire MP David TC Davies at a recent farm visit.

FUW senior officials met Mr Davies at FUW members Rhys and Judith Parry’s farm at Penterry Farm, St Arvans near Chepstow, to discuss several aspects of TB policy in Wales in order to identify areas of concern and potential future strategies.

The couple farm the 400 acre of organic beef just a mile from the English border and supply Waitrose with 200  fat cattle a year, with replacement store cattle being purchased between July and November.

“A TB breakdown in July prevented us from buying in replacements until the first week of October. This has meant that we missed a number of sales and will result in us being around 100 cattle short for the coming 12 months.  The impact on cash flow for the business is therefore enormous, and it will take years to recover the position,” explained Rhys Parry.

“TB has restricted the market for our cattle, and this has led to a loss of up to £300.00 per head compared to what we would normally expect,” added Mr Parry.

FUW senior policy officer Dr Hazel Wright  said: “The recent TB Order consultation issued by the Welsh Government takes this issue further by proposing to reduce the compensation provided to cattle that have legally, with a licence, been moved onto a TB restricted holding if such cattle subsequently go down with TB.  This could place members in an untenable position, due to issues such as breaches of their milk contract, and places them on a no-win situation.”

“The FUW is currently seeking members’ views on this consultation and we will reply on behalf of our membership in due course,” added Dr Wright.

[caption id="attachment_5812" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Talking cheese are Caws Cenarth’s Carwyn Adams (r) and FUW’s milk and dairy produce committee chairman Rhydian Owen.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5813" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Meeting cheese entrepreneur Thelma Adams are FUW vice president Eifion Huws (l) and FUW president Glyn Roberts (r )[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5814" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] In the cheese shop - Caws Cenarth founder Thelma Adams with son Carwyn and FUW’s milk and dairy produce committee chairman Rhydian Owen and FUW president Glyn Roberts.[/caption]

The Carmarthenshire branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales hosted a visit to Caws Cenarth – a family run business in the valley of the river Cych and the oldest established producer of Welsh Farmhouse Caerffili – to explore how the business once again is turning difficult times into opportunity.

Caws Cenarth was started by Gwynfor and Thelma Adams in 1987 in response to milk quotas. Here, on their farm, Glyneithinog, they drew on a six generation tradition of cheese making and quickly established a reputation for its creamy, fresh-flavoured Caerffili.

Thelma soon became a leading light in the renaissance of Welsh artisan cheese making. These days, Gwynfor and Thelma take a back seat, allowing son Carwyn to run the business and indulge his passion for creating new cheeses.

Speaking about the business and milk quotas, Carwyn Adams said: “I took the business over in 2005 and we now employ 17 people, cheese is a passion for us and I like exploring new flavours and developing new ideas and that’s one of the key areas where we manage to draw the business in.

“Just recently milk quotas have been removed and now is probably a more appropriate time to have milk quotas in place than ever, especially if we look at how milk prices have dropped.

“As a cheese producer and milk purchaser, we need to stabilise prices for our customers. We are not looking for cheaper milk or more expensive milk  - what we are looking for is proper value for the milk that we buy and a consistent price.”

The beginning of the year saw dairy producers in Wales waking up to the abolition of the European quota system that has operated to limit EU milk production for 30 years. While Britain remained under quota, the potential addition of more production to the EU milk glut had led the FUW to repeatedly express concern about further increases in price volatility in an already saturated marketplace.

“If milk quotas were still in place it might actually help control supply and demand dynamics, as opposed to just flooding the market. We do need to have another look at the role that milk quotas – or some other similar market management tool - could play,” added Mr Adams.

FUW milk and dairy produce committee chairman Rhydian Owen, who also attended the visit, said: “ Coming to see this small family business here in rural Wales was a fantastic opportunity. It’s an inspiration to see how they are progressing and looking to the future after quotas have been abolished.

“Diversification, just like Carwyn is doing here at Caws Cenarth, is one option for farmers to keep in business; now that the marketplace has become more volatile.

“It will be interesting to see what the European Union can do in the future by perhaps introducing a monitoring systems but bringing back quotas now would be very difficult and is unlikely.

“But stabilising the peaks and troughs of a volatile market is definitely something that the EU must look at, so that businesses like Caws Cenarth can continue to prosper. The union has long argued that it is imperative that processors work to prevent the type of boom and bust price volatility which followed quota abolition.

“Indeed, it is essential that transparency and fairness in the dairy supply chain is improved in order to allow producers and processors to be well placed to  maximise those mainstream and added-value opportunities that are set to arise in the export market following future growth in the demand for dairy products.”

Speaking about the future of the business, Carwyn added that: “We currently produce the plain Caerffili, and other varieties such as Garlic and Herb Caerffili and Smoked Caerffili and have developed the Brie-like Perl Wen, a creamy blue, Perl Las, and Golden Cenarth, a washed-rind cheese with a powerful flower , which won the Supreme Champion accolade at the British Cheese Awards 2010.

“The future for Caws Cenarth is to look at expanding our product range and exploring other markets. I am not sure if we are going to get them available for this year but possibly for next year.

“We want to focus on a new cream cheese, and are looking at going into more of a catering aspect of it and we are definitely looking at the ethnic markets and producing cheeses that are sought after in that customer base.                                                                                                               

“We will also be looking at using milk from different sources such as goats and sheep, which is an area that we would probably relish in because of the handling of different milk and expanding into another niche market could work very well for us.”

[caption id="attachment_5802" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] FUW President Glyn Roberts, winner of the outstanding service to Welsh dairy industry award Laurence Harris of Daioni and HSBC Regional Agriculture Manager for Wales Euryn Jones.[/caption]

Well known north Pembrokeshire organic dairy farmer Laurence Harris, who founded the internationally recognised company Daioni, has been honoured with the Farmers’ Union of Wales/ HSBC outstanding service to Welsh dairy industry award at last night’s eve of Dairy Show function in Carmarthen.

A dairy farmer for over 40 years, Laurence has taken Daioni – meaning “goodness” - from strength to strength.

The brand’s humble beginnings began with a 150-acre farm in Pembrokeshire, Wales.  Since taking over Ffosyficer farm – still the heart of the Daioni business – from his father in 1970, Laurence expanded the family farm to well over 3,000 acres of fertile pasture.

“Over the years I became increasingly concerned about our farming practises and how we could improve ourselves - so we converted the farm to organic production in 1999,” said Mr Harris.

Since then, Laurence and his team have added value to their premium quality dairy produce which has culminated in the launch of the Daioni brand and a suite of products that are being sold internationally.

“We initially set up the business with a single tanker and a couple of lorries and sent our milk to north Wales to be processed and packaged and in 2003 we launched Daioni, the first range of flavoured organic milk drinks in Britain,” added Mr Harris.

From the initial interest shown by local schools to put the product in their vending machines as an alternative to fizzy, sugary drinks, the business has flourished.

Today the range of products has grown to include organic fresh milk and cream, organic UHT/longlife milk, alongside the flavoured milk and “Daionic”, an organic longlife high protein sports drink.

“Laurence Harris is a fine example of why our Welsh dairy farmers are the backbone of rural life and I congratulate him wholeheartedly on winning this award today” said FUW president Glyn Roberts. 

“He has achieved so much for Welsh dairy produce and farming over the years – even when Laurence and his family sadly lost the whole of their milking herd to bovine TB in 2009, they decided to face the issue head on and use their story to educate the public about the effect that the disease is having on the agricultural industry and the need for the Government to tackle its spread in cattle and wildlife,”

In 2008 Daioni flavoured milk was exported oversees for the first time and is now stocked in outlets around the world as well as in small retailers and major supermarkets across the UK. 

In addition, in 2012 Daioni became the first British dairy company to gain organic certification in mainland China and in 2014 they opened their Hong Kong office to focus on Asia Pacific sales.  Today exports account for over 15% of the business turnover.

Around twenty local people are employed by the farming business which today is solely owned by the Harris family and continues to go from strength to strength. 

“We pride ourselves on the quality of our organic milk, from home-grown cows that freely roam the grassy climbs of West Wales. Through the combination of happy cows, fertile soils and abundant grass, we have found the winning formula for delicious, flavoursome and quality milk,” said Mr Harris.

FUW senior policy officer Dr Hazel Wright, a judge on this year’s award selection panel, said: “Given the many challenges currently facing the Welsh dairy sector, it was a pleasure to reward the hard work, tenacity and innovation of the Harris family.”

Wales' most unusual farmyard - staged next door to a castle, within the world heritage town walls of Conwy - is coming to Gwledd Conwy Feast.

[caption id="attachment_5795" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Caption: Dafydd P Jones FUW Llanrwst insurance officer commentating on the shearing exhibition at Gwledd Conwy Feast[/caption]

The collection of live farm animals at one of Wales’ biggest festivals has been organised by the Farmers’ Union of Wales Caernarfonshire branch.

The festival, taking place on Saturday and Sunday (October 24 -25) within the world heritage site of Conwy, is one of the highlights of the Welsh food calendar and attracts thousands of visitors every year.

A vibrant celebration of food and drink, the festival attracts more than 150 top-quality producers with the majority from Wales.

FUW Caernarfonshire County Executive Officer Gwynedd Watkin, who has organised the ‘farmyard’, said: “We are very excited to feature shearing displays, wool spinning, and the North Wales Shire Horse Society will be joining us as well.

“Also this year FUW member Gareth Jones from Llanfairfechan, of ‘Snowdonia 1890’ fame, will be present on Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon to talk to visitors.

“We will also have goats; Welsh Mountain sheep and Suffolk pigs; Welsh Black, Jersey, Hereford X and Holstein heifers and a shepherd’s crook-making exhibition amongst many other stars in the yard.”

Visitors to the event can also drop into the demonstration kitchens where former Bake Off contestant Beca Lyne-Pirkis, star presenter of S4C's Becws, and local chefs from some of the area's best restaurants will be showing what they can do in the kitchen.

Other festival highlights include a celebration of apple growing and eating, a pop-up restaurant of local produce, two days and two nights of music from some of North Wales' best bands and blinc, an evening digital festival lighting up Conwy Castle and Plas Mawr.

“Gwledd Conwy Feast is the perfect place to celebrate every aspect of Welsh food and support Welsh produce and small businesses, which is why we are taking the opportunity to further promote our ‘Buy the Welsh One’ campaign and are handing out free reusable cotton shopping bags over the weekend,” added Mr Watkin.

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