Call for action paper on carbon trading and payment capping
ALL eyes were on Builth Wells at the start of the week as the Winter Fair returned to the Royal Welsh Showground after Covid-19 restrictions enforced a cancellation last year.
It was wonderful to see members and friends join us for a paned and a mince pie over the two-day event!
For us it was a busy one once more – we started the fair by launching a call for action paper on carbon trading and a further call for action on payment capping.
The reports set out how the respective issues should be resolved and for those of you who didn’t manage to pick up a paper copy at our stand, you can also access the reports on our website.
We then welcomed our Christmas card design competition winner Rhian Morgan of Ysgol Llandinam, Newtown to the stand. Rhian’s English language Christmas card design wowed our judges and featured an agricultural twist on a traditional nativity scene with farm animals asleep in the manger under the legend, ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the farm, every animal was sleeping, it was so calm.’
If you want to purchase your very own pack of Christmas cards, which are sold in aid of the DPJ Foundation, please contact the county office for details.
Another issue we care about deeply is broadband and rural connectivity.
We therefore joined forces once again with partner organisations to establish a snapshot picture of the broadband situation in Wales.
Those who came to see us had the opportunity to fill out the survey that seeks to explore how people feel about the level of communication between themselves and their provider, costvalue of service and further look at how proposed changes to online livestock recording systems could affect the farming community.
Don’t worry if you haven’t filled it out at the Winter Fair as the survey can also be accessed online here https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ YZRWVR6 and is open until December 12.
A topic that we discussed at great length with members at the last Winter Fair was bovine TB.
Back in 2019 we said we had hoped we could be having a more positive conversation about it at the next Winter Fair – sadly it was not the case again this year.
Not many conversations with members went without the mention of this dreadful disease and the impact it has on farm businesses and mental health.
I can assure members that we will continue to do all we can to see that the situation improves.
For now, I hope that everyone who joined us over the two days enjoyed themselves and perhaps even feels a little more festive now, with hope of better days to come.