Funding is totally inadequate
I MUST be getting old as the new year seems months ago right now.
We have had about 70 calves now and it’s nice to start selling milk again. We had a load of beautiful barley straw delivered and I had to lie down in a darkened room once I knew the price of it. If I had known I would have forward bought thousands of tonnes last year.
We have good silage so the cows should be off to a good start. However, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing right now as milk production has been high so far this winter and agri-commentators are advocating for a long, wet winter to curb the spring flush.
I have to say I always pray for an early spring to get out on the fields and do something different. But times are a-changing, as Bob Dylan once sang.
The Welsh Government has announced new regulations putting the whole of Wales in to a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ). This came as a complete surprise to myself and NFU Cymru after the minister said recently she would hold off with these regulations until the Covid-19 pandemic was over, or was at least under control.
Manners maketh the man, my mamgu would say. She could have taught them a lesson or two on that essential virtue. These regulations will change things dramatically for farmers, especially without a comprehensive funding programme.
Farmers in other countries, when faced with such regulations, received significant funding. The funding announced by the Welsh Government is totally inadequate; unless this is revisited there could be severe consequences for many farms in rural Wales.
On a more positive note, Carmarthenshire Council has now legally evicted the tenant who was in possession of Carmarthen Mart. Our local mart is a fantastic facility in a great location and the farming community badly needs this to reopen.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to Emlyn Dole, leader of Carmarthenshire Council, and his team who have worked tirelessly to get this outcome.
Applications have already been sent out for potential suitors and I have been told there is already a healthy interest.
Finally, the Covid-19 vaccine is here, but the virus is still with us and we must still adhere to the rules at all times. A friend of mine was hospitalised due to this virus. I had played rugby with him, sampled some beers, a caring, loving family man. This morning I was told he had passed away, aged 51.
Please take care and stay safe.