Rhug estate was an ideal location for Sioe Sir Feirionnydd last week. There were plenty of flat dry fields surrounding the site for parking from the north and the south with the show field itself enveloping the famous Lord Newborough farm shop, restaurant and cafe. Traffic flowed freely, with stewards doing a great job of moving people in swiftly and efficiently. Stock, produce, stallholders and trade stands made sure that the very best of agriculture in Meirionnydd was on show, and boy, did people arrive in their thousands to enjoy the day. 

FUW’s stand was a hive of activity, and the lunchtime period saw the stand full to the brim. It was great to see so many familiar faces and bring everyone together to enjoy a cuppa, a catch-up and put the world to right. 

We were fortunate this year to host the Farming Network Community (FCN) representative at the stand. They do some great work as a voluntary organisation and charity supporting farmers and their families within the agricultural community. From personal or business-related issues, FCN can support farmers and they also run a confidential, national helpline and e-helpline, open every day of the year from 7am to 11pm. The team of volunteers provide free, confidential support to anyone who seeks help. Over 10,000 people a year benefit from FCN’s support, it is a worthwhile organisation.

At Meirionnydd’s county show we had a local representative working at our stand. Falmai Ellis, a Welsh speaker, was with us promoting a new project with FCN that supports farmers and their families with the array of issues facing the whole family network around cancer. Working in partnership with Macmillan, FCN is helping to address cancer inequalities in farming and rural communities, so the show was a great opportunity to reach out to families. 

Raising awareness of cancer risks, the signs and symptoms of the disease is crucial. Encouraging early detection and improving knowledge and understanding of the support Macmillan can provide farmers and their families affected by cancer is a very worthwhile project. We are pleased to be able to work alongside Falmai and the team to support our members should they have to face this trying disease.

By the time you read this column, the BBC documentary ‘Brian May: The Badgers, the Farmer and Me’ will have aired. Prior to broadcasting, the media narrative pre-empting the content of the documentary is causing much frustration to the agricultural industry.  

Statements arising from the documentary before its airing are emotive and inflammatory to farming families affected by this harrowing disease. The agricultural community as a whole continues to suffer the devastating consequences of Bovine TB in cattle following decades of ineffective government policies.

We sincerely hope that we find the documentary to be factually correct, balanced and scientifically led offering a real insight to this disease. The farming community has, for many years, challenged both the Welsh and UK Governments to put policies in place that effectively reduce the cases of Bovine TB in cattle.

We continue to press for a Bovine TB eradication policy in Wales that combats every aspect of this complex disease, both in cattle and wildlife. Alarming figures show that over 11,000 cattle were killed here in Wales in the past year (April 2023 to March 2024) affecting farm businesses, the family members on those farms and this slaughter comes at a great cost to the industry and the taxpayer. 

Our message is clear, we need a holistic and scientifically supported approach to be adopted to eradicate Bovine TB once and for all. Other countries have been successful in gaining TB free status in their livestock. Evidence from the first, strictly licensed and controlled badger cull areas in England, show that rates of bovine TB infections in cattle have reduced by 56% after four years of badger culling. Evidence like this can not continue to be ignored by the Welsh Government.