A relaxation of a strict EU rule will allow farmers in Wales to bury their dead animals after they perished in recent extreme weather conditions.
Some parts of Wales have experienced significant levels of snow and freezing temperatures, with forecasters predicting that it was the coldest March since 1962.
The relaxed laws will come into force today and will apply for seven days. After that, the procedure will be reviewed to see whether it should be closed or extended. The derogation covers the areas of Wales most affected by the recent snow and is subject to a number of restrictions that include:
· Farmers will be required to provide evidence that collectors were unable to access the farm.
· Farmers should seek advice from Natural Resources Wales on burial sites.
· Farmers must notify their local authority that a burial is taking place.
· Information including tag numbers if appropriate and the burial site location must be included in the farmer’s record book.
· The derogation covers the areas of Conwy, Denbighshire, Wrexham, Gwynedd, Flintshire, Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire.
· The derogation will be reviewed in 7 days time.
NFU Cymru President, Ed Bailey, described the decision as a 'slight help' to livestock farmers. "I recognise that when seeking derogation from EU regulations restrictions will apply, but how much this derogation will help will very much depend on the willingness and ability of all the authorities to make this process as straightforward as possible" said Bailey.
"Local authorities and farmers themselves have worked hard these past twelve days to open up minor roads in remote areas of Mid and North Wales. This may very well make it possible for fallen stock collectors to access the farm but most of the losses will have occurred high up on the hills making it impossible to bring the animals down to the yard.
"Clearly I would expect farmers to be given derogation in these circumstances. At this juncture it is too soon to determine how long this derogation may be required for, given that freezing conditions and snow continue undiminished in the worst affected areas."
The Farmers' Union of Wales criticised the EU for refusing to allow a full derogation for those affected and called for further action to help farmers hit by Arctic weather conditions.
EU Regulation 1069/2009 requires farmers to pay collectors to remove and dispose of fallen stock - a rule criticised by the FUW from the outset on the grounds that on-farm burial has been carried out safely and without adverse effects for thousands of years.
Following severe animal losses due to the weather, the FUW wrote to natural resources and food minister Alun Davies highlighting the need for an exemption to the rule and yesterday (Tuesday) the Welsh Government conceded to a limited derogation.
FUW president Emyr Jones, whose farm is among thousands severely affected by the extreme weather, said: “We welcome this concession but have highlighted the fact that it does not cover all those who have been worst affected by the severe weather and does not go far enough to take into account the exceptional circumstances facing farmers in Wales.
“Many have lost hundreds of animals and tens of thousands of pounds. Requiring them to pay further thousands to have dead animals removed because they cannot meet very strict guidelines will be emotionally and financially devastating for many.
“We have urged the Welsh Government to take this into account and to apply the derogation for all areas of Wales which are affected.”
Under the derogation farmers in Conwy, Denbighshire, Wrexham, Gwynedd, Flintshire, Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire will temporarily be able to bury sheep, lambs and calves but will be required to provide evidence that collectors were unable to access the farm.
In relation to the burial ban, Mr Jones said: “The FUW is fully supportive of EC membership - without EC membership our farming industry would be economically unviable and we know from experience that Brussels certainly does not have a monopoly on ridiculous regulations.
"But the burial ban is a rule which brings the EU into disrepute and we will once again be writing to the European Commission to highlight our concerns regarding the burial ban.
The Welsh Government statement issued on the 2 April also states that 'Providing further direct financial support into individual farm businesses is not the way to improve our long term resilience.'
Wales' Natural Resources and Food Minister, Alun Davies said: "I'm very aware of the extreme difficulties farmers in Wales are experiencing as a result of the extreme weather we have witnessed over the last week.
"Sheep farmers are facing their busiest time of the year with the lambing season, which is not yet over in some parts of Wales. The extreme weather has put an added strain on them.
"One of the most pressing issues farmers have told me they are now facing is how to deal with fallen stock.
"I asked my Chief Veterinary Officer, Professor Christianne Glossop to look urgently at what the Welsh Government can do to alleviate the burden on farmers. I will say more about our intentions early next week."
Responding to this, Bailey said: "In the context of the dire circumstances many farmers find themselves in the immediate aftermath of a freak weather storm, I find this statement rather surprising. Surely today the focus should be on looking to support farmers in affected areas who have suffered catastrophic losses.
"I had hoped that this statement would include an emergency aid package to help those most affected to get back on their feet again, I certainly didn't expect Welsh Government to rule out such an option before the full extent of losses can even be evaluated."
"I appreciate that the Minister has agreed to meet us tomorrow on farm in Montgomeryshire to discuss the impact of the severe weather on the livestock sector in Wales.
"At that meeting I will ask that he keep an open mind on an aid package for affected businesses, it could well be some weeks before we know the full extent of the losses as a result of this extreme weather. Whilst the derogation we have today is a slight help I fear that many farmers will need more if their businesses are to recover from this traumatic time."
Disposal of fallen stock must comply with the European Regulation on animal by-products. Any fallen stock must be disposed of to approved premises without undue delay.
Carcases should be kept secure until disposal.
However in these severe weather conditions, the government is asking farmers to be aware of the needs of the regulations and to dispose of fallen stock as soon as practical.
The Chief Veterinary Officer has contacted local authorities in Wales to ask for any enforcement action to be sympathetic to the local conditions.
FUW President Jones highlighted the impact of the abolition of upland support after more than 60 years.
"The abolition of Less Favoured Area payments after more than 60 years could not have come at a worse time and recent events highlight their necessity.
"I fully support Alun Davies’ ambition that farmers should be able to survive without any kind of support but I have yet to meet anybody with a coherent plan as to how we would continue to feed people while also balancing the books without EU payments.
"Replacing 80% of farm incomes with savings and increases in market returns is not a straightforward task.
"Reducing costs or increasing receipts per unit by a few pennies is one thing, and we should all strive to run our businesses as efficiently as possible, but to replace £260 million or so of income across Wales will require decisive political action in support of market-derived farm incomes by both Welsh and EU authorities.”
Jones said that until such a panacea was found the FUW would continue to highlight the need for a genuine Common Agricultural Policy and for a Less Favoured Area scheme to be implemented in Wales, as is the case in the rest of the EU.
Farmers begin clear up
As the thaw begins across parts of the countryside hit by the worst March snow drifts in living memory, the scale of the loss of breeding animals is becoming apparent.
The NFU has called on both Defra and the National Fallen Stock Company (NFSCo) to help those farmers who have suffered heavy losses by providing a temporary, free collection service for animals killed by the snow.
Drifts over 20 feet deep have been reported in parts of the Pennines, West Yorkshire, Cumbria, the Midlands and Wales and though the snowfall was spread over large parts of the country, the worst of the losses appear to be highly localised with some areas reporting the deaths of thousands of breeding ewes.
Legislation means that those farmers are now faced with a bill amounting to thousands of pounds to have the stock collected and disposed of.
Although Defra and the Welsh Assembly Government have announced limited derogations to allow on- farm burial, the scale of loss on some farms makes that practically impossible. The alternative of collection is yet another pressure on those farmers struggling with the effects of the weather.
Charles Sercombe, NFU livestock board chairman, said: "As the snow begins to recede, farmers are uncovering more dead sheep in the snow and numbers are starting to mount in farm yards. We are receiving reports of farms with hundreds of breeding sheep that have been lost in drifts; aside from the long term impact that losing this number of breeding animals has on the farming business, they will now be faced with a bill of several thousand pounds for disposal.
"We have had tremendous support from the public who have seen how hard farmers have been working to ensure their sheep make it through the worst of the weather. We have even seen members of the public travel to the areas affected to assist farmers in finding sheep in the drifts. This is the Big Society working in practice and we now look to government to play its part by dealing with the stock that unfortunately perished.
"We understand the relaxations that have been announced, but burying large numbers of animals on farm is not realistic. We need government and the NFSCo, which was set up to find ways of reducing the cost of fallen stock disposal, to come up with a plan using contingency funding to move these animals from farm without charge for those farmers and dispose of them responsibly."
