Western Mail

'Dairy Farming Is Doomed Unless Disease Controlled' ; Vet Warns That Concentration Is Making Industry Far Too Vulnerable

BRITAIN'S dairy industry is doomed unless it takes more effective steps to control the spread of endemic diseases like tuberculosis and bovine virus diarrhoea, according to a leading cattle vet. At a conference on infectious disease at the Royal Veterinary College last week, Devon practitioner Dick Sibley warned that the management and economic trends in the UK dairy industry are increasing the risk of disease transmission - and its potential impact once it does enter a herd.

Us Breeder Checks Out Ram Genetics

IT'S not only British sheep breeders that head to Builth Wells for the annual autumn ram sales. Brenda Lelli, a Blue Faced Leicester breeder, made the journey from her United States home to last week's NSA Wales and Border Ram Sale to buy semen for her flock.

Gerry Cleaned Out the Pigs, While I Had a Shameful Siesta ; It Shouldn't Be All Work and No Play When You're Running a Smallholding

YOU know that feeling that you have a mountain of things to do, but just don't know where to start? Sometimes my list is so long that I mentally turn it over and pretend it's not there - and then go off and do something which isn't a priority at all. It doesn't help in the long run, but it provides some temporary relief, which feels great at the time. I'm still trying to catch up after going away for three days to the show at Newbury, the weekend before last. I had thought I'd be able to make...

Farming Comment

THE warning delivered by Devon vet Richard Sibley to the Royal Veterinary College conference on infectious animals diseases last week should make dairy farmers shudder. Mr Sibley warned that the sector is heading for nothing short of doomsday because of the way cattle are moved into and around the country, and tendencies to increase the size of herds, breed for high yielding cows, keep animals indoors and share stockmen with other farms. It all adds up to a recipe for the spread of diseases l...

Farmers' Co-Op Raided Coffers to Increase Milk Price 3.76p ; First Milk Shields Members As Far As Possible From Market Downturn

BRITAIN'S leading farmerowned dairy business raided its reserves to boost the price paid to its 2,500 suppliers late last year. In the annual report of the First Milk co-operative for the year ending March 31, chief executive Peter Humphreys said the board of directors, which includes two elected Welsh dairy farmers in Mansel Raymond and Richard Twose, decided on the move because rising on- farm costs were putting serious financial pressure on producers.

Tune in to This Season of Plenty and Celebrate

TODAY is Michaelmas, one of four traditional "quarter days" in the year and a significant day in the farming calendar. This was the day landlords and tenants would fix and pay their rent and farm labourers went to the hiring fairs in search of work.

Action Continues On Low Milk Prices ; Country Newsbulletin

How to Look After Mature Trees ; Country Newsbulletin

THE South Wales Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group is holding an Ancient Trees Day in conjunction with Coed Cadw, the Woodland Trust in Wales, next week. Tree experts Ted Green and Ray Woods will lead a farm walk at Coleg Sir Gr in Gelli Aur to talk about the importance of mature trees.

Excellent Trade at Nelson Ewe Sale ; Country Newsbulletin

THE annual Nelson South Wales Sheep Association Ewe Sale attracted buyers from as far afield as Plymouth, Wiltshire and North Wales on September 18. Trade was excellent and resulted in a total clearance of the 2,247 sheep.

New Holland Construction and Jg Plant

LIKE us, JG Plant is prepared to invest in the future, conscious that the New Holland product offering will further expand their front line capability to even better support their current, loyal customers. Being part of the New Holland family also represents a further guarantee of investment and growth, opening up new opportunities and attracting new customers.

Machinery On View at Open Evening 'Thank You'

AGRICULTURAL and construction machinery specialist JG Plant stages its annual open evening on Friday, October 2. The event, which starts at 7.30pm, is at the company's headquarters on the Brackla Industrial Estate, Coity, near Bridgend. JG Plant has been one of the region's main Ford tractor dealers since the mid-1960s.

Improved Kit for Amazone Sprayers

Amazone's entry level 'UG' trailed sprayers are to receive a fresh new look for 2010 incorporating improved technical advances from their UX range of sprayers. They are available in two versions - the UG Special with 250 l/ min piston diaphragm pump and the UG Super with 370 l/min twin-pump system - with both available in 2400 and 3200 litre variants.

Rspb Director Off to Use His Welsh Experience in an International Role ; 'Much Work Still to Be Done' Around Wales

Ospreys: Date with AFTER 13 years of working in Wales with one of Britain's largest conservation charities, Dr Tim Stowe is spreading his wings. The Director of RSPB Cymru has been appointed Director International Operations for the charity, overseeing conservation work in 21 different countries, from Montserrat in the Caribbean to Sumatra in western Indonesia, and to India and Kazakhstan.

'Mrs Point-to-Point' Hands Over the Secretary's Reins

FORMER West Wales point-to-point secretary Cynthia Higgon, who has recently handed over the reins to Beverley Thomas after 40 years in the position, has certainly earned the sobriquet Mrs Point-to- Point. She's even had an award named after her and during her time in office has picked up a number of awards herself including the Weatherbys industry award in 2002 and the National Point-to-Point Ball committee award for her work in point-to-pointing in 1994.

Lleyn Sheep Go Well in Niche Sale

THE Lleyn Sheep Society held their first society sale of pedigree Lleyn Sheep at Carmarthen Mart on September 17, with entries well above expectations. Top seller and pre-sale show champion was a shearling ram from William Williams, of Bodtacho Ddu, Nefyn, Pwllheli, which sold to the show judge, Phillip Anthony of Haregrove Farm, Bridgend for 700gns. The first prize pen of shearling ewes from Emrys and Dylan Jones of Lluest Wen, Machynlleth, sold for pounds 178. The ewes are heading to Cornwa...

When Workers Complained of Too Much Salmon to Eat ; Now It's Vital That Many Caught Fish Are Returned Back to the River

I REMEMBER being told a story once of a farmhand seeking employment at the town's annual hiring fair and said he would turn down the offer of work that came his way from a well-to-do farmer unless he could be assured that he would not have to eat salmon more often than twice a day! Of course those were the days when salmon in Welsh rivers were in plentiful supply and the farmhand knew that the red autumnrunning salmon were heavy in spawn and, although as common as fish cakes, were out of cond...

Pupils Can See Wildlife in a 'Living Classroom' ; Nature Watch Cherryl Hodges

THE autumn months are an opportunity for children to see and learn about different kinds of birds and wildlife whether within their school grounds or on RSPB reserves across Wales. On several reserves pupils can see a wealth of over wintering birds, including Greenland white-fronted geese at RSPB Ynys-hir - the only place in England and Wales where hundreds of these birds spend the winter.

What a Difference a Decade Makes ; She's Just Turned 40, yet Film Star Catherine Zeta Jones Looks Like She Hasn't Aged a Day Since Her 30th Birthday - Unlike Some of Our Favourite Welsh Celebs. We Dug Out Some Pictures From Way Back in 1999 to See How Time has Moved On...

Catherine Zeta Jones Don't ask us how she does it, but somehow Wales' biggest Hollywood export has managed to zip through a decade without aging in any way whatsoever. And that's despite having two kids in the meantime! We want to know her secret. Cerys Matthews Now this is the kind of 'before' picture you hope everyone forgets about. Sorry Cerys, we couldn't help it.

Talking Wm Sense

MY little cousin got married over the weekend. Well, when I say little, I mean that he's about 18 months younger than me. So not quite so little then. But for some reason, I always remember him as a goofy little kid with out-ofcontrol hair and too many teeth.

This Week We'll Be Mostly

Supporting... Thursday sees the beginning of October"s Breast Cancer Awareness Month - visit www.cancerresearchuk.org or pop in to Peacocks, Mothercare and Tesco, the three stores associated with the event this year, for suitably pink products. Buying a coat... A winter one, reluctantly. Mary-Kate Olsen, pictured, may have looked out of place at Burberry at LFW, but she's got a point - it's nearly October, putting it off's just asking for the sneezes.