The Farmers' Union of Wales today welcomed the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) decision to launch an investigation into petrol and diesel prices in the UK but expressed disappointment that it did not include domestic heating oil.

"We are pleased that the OFT has decided to look into concerns over the continued high price for petrol and diesel, including red diesel, and wants to identify whether there are competition problems needing to be tackled within the fuel supply sector," said FUW president Emyr Jones.

"According to the AA's latest fuel price report, petrol and diesel pump prices across the UK rose by around 2.5% in August and Wales, together with South West England, recorded the highest diesel price at 140.9p per litre (ppl).

"In addition to such high petrol and diesel, people living in rural areas are also paying around 65ppl for heating fuel. It is a pity that the OFT's 'Call for Information' does not cover heating oil or the level of duty applied by the UK Government," Mr Jones added.

The OFT will be looking at:

* Whether reductions in the price of crude oil are accurately reflected in falling pump prices.

* Whether the trading practices of supermarkets and major oil companies may affect the ability of independent retailers to compete with them.

* Whether there is a lack of competition between fuel retailers in remote communities.

* Whether the current system for oil price reporting is being manipulated or distorted by oil price reporting agencies leading to higher prices being charged at the pump.

Meanwhile, the FUW is consulting members through its county office structure as the OFT is hoping to publish a summary of their findings and any proposed next steps in January 2013.

OFT's closing date for information is Wednesday October 17 so FUW members are urged to submit any comments to their county office or the union's policy department at FUW, Llys Amaeth, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth SY23 3BT by Monday October 8.

Primary school pupils from all over Wales are being invited to enter a Christmas card design competition organised by the Farmers’ Union of Wales.

The union is asking children aged 4 to 11 to design a Christmas scene depicting a farming theme for its Christmas cards which will be sold to raise money for the FUW president’s chosen charity Cancer Research Wales.

FUW president Emyr Jones said: “The competition is open to all primary schoolchildren and will be judged in both Welsh language and English language categories.

“The children can use crayons, coloured pencils, felt tipped pens or paint in their entries which must be completed on an A4 sheet of paper.

“The only stipulation is that it must be a Christmas card with a farming theme.

“This competition was a huge success last year and we hope that we can once again count on the support of our local schools all over Wales.”

The winner of each category will receive a £30 gift voucher for themselves, a packet of the Christmas cards depicting their design, one day’s free admittance to the 2012 Royal Welsh Winter Fair to receive their prizes and a £50 cheque for their school.

The winning entries, together with a selection of other entries, will be displayed at the FUW stand during the Winter Fair (November 26-27).

The closing date for entries to the competition is Friday October 26.

The pupil’s name, class number, school name and home address must be included on all entries which should be posted or delivered to the FUW, Llys Amaeth, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 3BT, and marked “Schools Competition” or emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

[caption id="attachment_4036" align="aligncenter" width="300"] from left: FUW deputy president Glyn Roberts, Kath Shaw, Fran Shaw and FUW vice president Lorraine Howells with hand reared yearling Pickles[/caption]

Farmers' Union of Wales Brecon and Radnor county vice chairman Kath Shaw opened the doors to her deer farm near Builth Wells to showcase her herd of over 40 home-bred breeding hinds.

Kath, 37, was born and grew up near London and whilst she did not come from a farming background, she was always encouraged to be outside and nurtured a healthy obsession with horses until the age of 16.

After gaining an A-level at the local comprehensive school, she realised she wasn't academic enough to be a vet and applied to Myerscough College (formerly the Lancashire College of Agriculture and Horticulture) where she completed an HND in Agriculture.

As part of the course, she gained a placement with ADAS on their experimental deer farm in Herefordshire.

After finishing her HND she went to Sparsholt College in Hampshire to complete an ANC in Deer Management. As part of that course she worked part-time on a deer farm in the New Forest.

After time spent working in orchards Kath was offered a job as deer herdsperson on the JCB Estates in Staffordshire.

But in the autumn of 2004 Kath and her parents Fran and Kingsley Shaw, who were looking for a retirement project, bought Blaenhow farm, Llandeilo Graban. A field was quickly fenced and the first 12 hinds were introduced soon afterwards.

Sadly, Kath's father was killed in a car accident the following spring after completing the conversion of existing buildings to suitable winter accommodation for the deer.

The herd has now grown to 45 home-bred breeding hinds and two breeding stags, run in two groups, and Kath shares her farming duties with a job as administrative assistant at the FUW's Brecon and Radnor county office on the Royal Welsh Showground at Llanelwedd .

While working for the Salmonella Research and Development Department of the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Weybridge, Surrey, Kath realised she wanted to farm deer more than anything and is hoping to further develop the business.

She said: "We now have about 75 acres fenced for deer, along with a purpose-built shed for winter accommodation, and have planning for a similar shed to be built this autumn.

"In the future I would like to expand the deer herd slightly by buying in other bloodlines and also expand into store lambs to manage the grass more effectively."

All the venison animals are sold live to the Welsh Venison Centre in Bwlch and slaughtered in Talgarth. The meat is then distributed to local pubs, restaurants and shops or sold through the Welsh Venison Centre farm shop.

FUW deputy president Glyn Roberts was impressed to see the work carried out by Kath when he visited the farm. He said: "It is very commendable to see a young woman achieve such a great deal in the farming world.

"It was a wonderful experience to visit the deer farm and I wish Kath all the best in the future."

The Farmers' Union of Wales today revealed details of its revamped annual student bursary following a review by its agricultural education and training committee.

From this year the FUW will be offering two bursary categories - one for higher education students and one for further education students.  There will also be two awards in each category with £1,000 awarded to each winner and £500 to each runner-up.

A number of significant amendments have been made to the bursaries, such as the inclusion of a farm management option for higher education applications and a more practical approach for further education applicants.

As part of the review, the union has amended the timing of applications and the application process.  The higher education bursary will follow a similar application process to previous years, with applications being submitted between September and October, but further education students will now be asked to submit their entries from December onwards.

FUW agricultural education and training committee chairman Alun Edwards, who is keen to attract more applications from further education students, said: “Applications for the further education bursary will now open in November, which will give students a longer period of time to settle into their studies, and will be orientated towards the practical nature of the courses being studied.

“We have now also included a farm management element for higher education applicants to give them an option to showcase their understanding of running a business and to demonstrate their understanding of how a farm business can be managed.

“By splitting the bursary into two categories, we hope to attract a greater number of applications and we look forward to receiving this year’s entries.”