Western Mail

High Court Bid Is Animal Lovers' Last Slim Hope to Stop Badger Cull ; but No Court Date Set for Hearing Which Could Halt Killings in Spring

ONLY a High Court judge can now stop a cull of badgers in West Wales after the animals have reared their young this year. Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones said the Welsh Assembly Government had the legal powers to go ahead with the cull as part of a range of measures aimed at eradicating bovine TB in Wales, and would resist an application by the Badger Trust for a judicial review of its decision.

Chinese Trade Supremo Will Dine On Welsh Lamb

HOPES of a new export trade for Welsh Lamb could move closer this week after a function organised by the Farmers' Union of Wales at the House of Lords tomorrow. A top-table guest at the union's annual lunch to celebrate the Home Grown Cereals Authority's Farmhouse Breakfast Week will be Zhou Xiaoming, Minister Counsellor of Economic and Commercial Office of the Chinese Embassy in London, who is in charge of all trade and investment issues between China and the UK including agriculture.

When the First Little Piglet Came Slithering Out - Thisbe Freaked ; Our Columnist has Been Hearing the Patter of Tiny Feet

PIGS run pretty much like clockwork when it comes to pregnancy. There's a handy way of remembering when a litter is due, because the gestation period is said to be three months, three weeks and three days. Even handier is the breeding chart you can get from most of the breed clubs - a ready-reckoner which has the "served" dates on the top line and the "due" dates on the bottom. Brilliant - the only trouble is, you have to know when your sow or gilt did the business, otherwise it's of no use a...

Farming Comment

THE supermarket bosses aren't happy, but the new code of conduct and the likelihood of a supermarket ombudsman are just the start of what food producers and independent shopkeepers hope will be a complete overhaul of the retail food industry. In its preliminary findings, the Competition Commission said that, between 1999 and 2006, the entry of a supermarket into a town centre, often ushered in enthusiastically by the local authority, had caused more independent grocers and local markets to cl...

Real Welsh Leeks Are so N-Ice This Time of Year

MANY cooks say leeks and other winter vegetables need a bit of frost to bring out the flavour. So the Really Welsh leeks harvested in Flintshire during the big freeze should be among the tastiest for years.

Supermarket Ombudsman Plans Welcomed by Welsh Producers ; Role Would Enforce a New Code of Practice to Ensure Fairer Deals

PROPOSALS for a supermarket ombudsman to enforce a new groceries supply code of practice have been widely welcomed in Wales. Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones welcomed the announcement last week by UK Consumer Minister Kevin Brennan that he has accepted the Competition Commission's recommendation for a body to enforce the code.

Vets and Shepherds to Be Highly-Prized ; Country Newsbulletin

VETS and shepherds will feature in two of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society's most prestigious prizes this year. A vet will be chosen for the Sir Bryner Jones Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the person who has attained the highest level of achievement in a different branch of Welsh agriculture, and veterinary surgeons are this year's choice - for the first time since the prize was introduced in 1957.

Nfu Mutual's Century of Success ; Country Newsbulletin

THE company that insures two-thirds of Britain's farmers is celebrating its centenary. NFU Mutual was founded in a tea-shop by seven Warwickshire farmers as an incentive for fellow farmers to join the newly-formed National Farmers' Union. Established with only pounds 190 of working capital, it now has assets of more than pounds 10bn. Its original aim was to insure farmers against the losses from hayrick fires. But NFU Mutual now offers a wide range of products and services, including general ...

Farrier Is Barred ; Country Newsbulletin

Biodiversity Year 2010 Is Our Chance to Stop This Beautiful, Bountiful Natural World Being Da Amaged by Human Activities ; the United Nations has Proclaimed 2010 to Be the International Year of Biodiversity. Roger Thomas, Chief Executive of the Countryside Council for Wales, Brings It Home to Wales

THE International Year of Biodiversity? So what, you may ask. What has that got to do with me? Every year is the year of something and every day seems to be the day of something else.

Drive to Get Pupils Drinking Local Milk

A CARMARTHENSHIRE dairy company has linked up with Welsh farmers' cooperative Llaeth Cymreig and DairyLink UK to launch the award- winning Nampak one-third pint milk polybottle exclusively for schools in Wales. The demise of dairy farmers in Wales and the lack of Welsh milk in Welsh schools prompted Highmead Dairies of Llanybydder to set up a new consortium to spearhead the fight to get schoolchildren in Wales back to drinking fresh Welsh milk.

Free Workshop Is Fuel for Thought ; Country Newsbulletin

True Taste Welsh On the Move ; Country Newsbulletin

SOME of the best food produce from Wales will be tempting Londoners again next month when the True Taste Welsh Produce Market undertakes its second invasion there. The market takes place on Friday, February 26, 11am-7pm at Golden Square, just off Regent's Street.

Masked Ball On a Diamond Occasion ; Country Newsbulletin

MEMBERS of Brawdy Young Farmers Club, which celebrates its diamond jubilee this year, are arranging a Masked Ball at Pembrokeshire Showground Pavilion on Friday, February 12. All proceeds will go to the Kidney Wales Foundation, the charity nominated by club member - and current Wales YFC chairman - Tim John.

Breakfast in Style Onwelsh Produce ; Union View

THIS week marks the start of the FUW's annual tour of the Welsh, UK and European government hubs to celebrate the Home Grown Cereals Authority's Farmhouse Breakfast Week. Today we will be at the National Assembly's Senedd building for a typical Welsh breakfast. The function, sponsored by the Welsh Assembly Government, Hybu Cig Cymru and NatWest Rural Wales Banking, has always been a huge success. The chief guest and main speaker will be Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones.

First Milk Fail Their Side of the Contract ; Letters

SIR - I am wondering how First Milk can justify simply not turning up to pick up milk from farmers they contract. I ask this because I spent the best part of a day with a local farmer preparing and gritting the road to his farm so it could easily be accessed by the milk tanker.

Plans for Non-Vets to Inspect Abattoirs

PROPOSALS to reorganise the way inspections in abattoirs are carried out could lead to improved efficiency without compromising food safety or animal welfare, AMs were told last week. A National Assembly inquiry into animal welfare and meat hygiene at abattoirs heard that suitably experienced people could take over some of the duties currently undertaken by veterinarian inspectors.

Bbc Wales' First Female Racing Reporter has a Great Pedigree ; Aly Is a Sporting All-Rounder

MEET BBC Wales' first ever female racing reporter. She's 26-year- old Aly Rowell and as well as being a Great Britain pentathlete - the participants compete at epee fencing, pistol shooting, swimming, show jumping and cross-country running - she can also claim to have sailed the Atlantic! If Carolyn Hitt is the female face of Welsh rugby then Aly Rowell is the female face ofWelsh horse racing.

Words of the 'Bamboo Baron' Inspired Generations of Anglers ; Why World-Famous Hotelier's Book Is a Must-Read for All Fishermen

ANANGLER who received a pounds 20 voucher for Christmas, and was anxious to put it to good use, asked me to recommend an angling item he could buy. I found it hard to offer advice but suggested that maybe a good book on angling would fit the bill.

Winter Wellbeing ; Get Yourself On Track for a Happy and Healthy 2010 by Giving Yourself a New Year Mot with Help From the Experts

Ben Mathew DC (Doctor of Chiropractic), is 32 and from Sully, Vale of Glamorgan. He's owner and principle Chiropractor at Cardiff Bay Chiropractic. Ben graduated from the Welsh Institute of Chiropractic in July 2006 and was a personal trainer and rehab specialist in Sydney, Australia What does your job involve? Chiropractic is a healing art, based on the latest evidence based research on the relationship between the nervous system and the body's health and body. I identify which tissues are c...