FUW keeps presidential team

THE ENTIRE presidential team of the Farmers Union of Wales has been re-elected at a meeting of the union‘s Grand Council in Aberystwyth.

President Gareth Vaughan was the unanimous choice of the 12 county branches to serve a second year in the top job.

He farms 282ha (695ac) at Cwmyrhiewdre, Dolfor in the old county of Montgomeryshire, where he runs 60 sucklers and 1600 ewes with his wife, daughter and son-in-law.

Following the meeting he said he was immensely proud to have members‘ confidence to lead the union through the tricky period of CAP reform.

His deputy will be noted Welsh Black cattle breeder Emyr Jones of Rhiwaedog near Bala in Merionydd, who runs 60 suckler cows and 800 Welsh Mountain sheep.

The council elected three vice presidents, Carmarthenshire organic milk producer Brian Walters, Clwyd share farmer Alan Gardner and Terry Bayliss from Monmouthshire, the chair of the Farmers First Group, who is still campaigning for the restart of live exports.

Elected representative from north and south Wales complete the team.

Lorraine Howells, who quit teaching biology early to run her upland farm in Gwent, will speak for the south, and Glyn Roberts from Betws y Coed the north.