Request for increased scalloping prohibition welcomed.

Plaid Cymru's Penri James has welcomed the decision of the Minister for Rural Affairs, Elin Jones AM, to request a review of the current restrictions on scallop fishing.

On Tuesday (10 February), the Minister for Rural Affairs announced that she had asked her officials to request that the North Western and North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee extend the temporary scallop prohibition until 31 May and increase the area to six nautical miles from the coast.

Following the announcement, Plaid Cymru's Penri James said:

"It's been evident for a long time that action needs to be taken to address the increased scallop dredging in Cardigan Bay. This was first raised with the Minister during our meeting with Cllr Rob Gorman and Jill Evans MEP last September, and I'm glad that the Minister is finally in a position to take action on this matter.

"At the moment, there is no requirement for scallop dredgers to carry a satellite tracking device so that their positions and activities can be monitored onshore. The Isle of Man government has already introduced this requirement for the current scalloping season and I hope that serious consideration can also be given to introducing this requirement for scallop dredgers in Cardigan Bay.

"It is important that a long-term solution for this matter is found so that it can be implemented by the start of the new scalloping season later in the year. I therefore hope that the Sea Fisheries Committee will work with the Assembly Government to find the most practical solution and balance the needs of local fishermen with ecological concerns".

MEP wins vote on fallen stock

Good news from Brussels

Plaid MEP Jill Evans won the support of the European Parliament's Environment Committee allowing farmers to dispose of dead animals on their farms. The Environment Committee backed an amendment tabled by Ms Evans to proposed changes to European regulations for disposing of dead animals or fallen stock.

The committee backed the principle of on-farm containment. This is an area of particular concern to Wales, especially the collection of fallen stock from upland sheep farms. Much of the sheep sector in Wales is farmed extensively in upland and less accessible areas, and this makes the collection and disposal of fallen stock very difficult.

On-farm containment was phased out several years ago by the European Union, but many now believe that safety concerns about on-farm disposal have been addressed. Scientists at Bangor University are developing a 'digester' so that dead animals can be disposed of on-site in an environmentally friendly way.

Speaking after the vote in Brussels, Jill Evans said:

"It's time to update these rules on fallen stock. Many safety concerns have now been addressed and we are seeing an innovative and environmentally friendly method of on-site containment being developed at Bangor University. Representatives from Bangor will be coming to Brussels in March to demonstrate the project.

"I'm delighted that the Environment Committee supported my amendments to the regulation. Farmers have shown that the restrictions on the disposal of fallen stock cause them tremendous problems. One Wales Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones was in Brussels to discuss this with Commissioner Vassiliou a few weeks ago. Plaid Cymru is on the side of farmers in Wales and will campaign for change.

"We have some way to go, but I'm very hopeful that we'll be able to win the argument on fallen stock."

ASE yn ennill y bleidlais ar stoc syrthiedig

Newyddion da o Frwsel

Mae ASE Plaid Cymru, Jill Evans, wedi ennill cefnogaeth Pwyllgor Amgylchedd Senedd Ewrop i ganiatáu i ffermwyr gael gwared ag anifeiliaid marw ar eu ffermydd. Cefnogodd Pwyllgor yr Amgylchedd welliant wedi ei gynnig gan Ms Evans i newidiadau arfaethedig i reoliadau Ewropeaidd ynglŷn â chael gwared ag anifeiliaid marw neu stoc syrthiedig.

Cefnogodd y pwyllgor yr egwyddor o gyfyngu ar-fferm. Mae hwn yn achos o bryder arbennig i Gymru, yn enwedig casglu stoc syrthiedig o ffermydd defaid ar yr ucheldiroedd. Caiff llawer o’r sector ddefaid yng Nghymru ei ffermio’n helaeth ar ucheldiroedd ac mewn ardaloedd anodd eu cyrraedd, ac mae hyn yn achosi anhawster mawr i gasglu a difa stoc syrthiedig.

Daethpwyd â’r arfer o gyfyngu ar-fferm i ben sawl blwyddyn yn ôl gan yr Undeb Ewropeaidd, ond erbyn hyn, mae nifer fawr yn credu yr aethpwyd i’r afael ynglŷn ag unrhyw bryderon sy’n dal i fodoli am ddiogelwch difa anifeiliaid ar-fferm. Mae gwyddonwyr ym Mhrifysgol Bangor yn datblygu ‘treuliwr’ er mwyn cael gwared ag anifeiliaid marw yn y fan a’r lle mewn dull sydd yn dda i’r amgylchedd.

Wrth siarad ar ôl y bleidlais ym Mrwsel, dywedodd Jill Evans:

"Mae’n bryd i ni ddiweddaru’r rheolau yma ynglŷn â stoc syrthiedig. Cyfeiriwyd at nifer fawr o bryderon ynglŷn â diogelwch erbyn hyn ac rydym yn gweld datblygiad dull blaengar a da i’r amgylchedd o gyfyngu ar-fferm yn cael ei ddatblygu ym Mhrifysgol Bangor. Bydd cynrychiolwyr o Fangor yn dod i Frwsel ym mis Mawrth i arddangos y project.

"Rwy’n falch iawn fod Pwyllgor yr Amgylchedd wedi cefnogi fy ngwelliannau’r rheoliad. Mae ffermwyr wedi dangos bod y cyfyngiadau ar gael gwared â stoc syrthiedig yn achosi problemau aruthrol iddyn nhw. Roedd Gweinidog Materion Gwledig Cymru’n Un, Elin Jones ym Mrwsel i drafod hyn gyda’r Comisiynydd Vassiliou ychydig wythnos yn ôl. Mae Plaid Cymru ar ochr ffermwyr yng Nghymru a bydd yn ymgyrchu dros newid.

"Mae gyda beth o’r ffordd i fynd, ond rwy’n obeithiol iawn y byddwn yn gallu ennill y ddadl ar stoc syrthiedig."

Gormod o arwyddion ‘ar werth’ yn Aberystwyth

Mae lluosogrwydd arwyddion ‘ar werth’ ac ‘i’w osod’ yn Aberystwyth yn ganlyniad yr hinsawdd economaidd ac yn gynnyrch anffodus o’r amgylchiadau presennol. Nid oes modd osgoi hynny.
Mae fy marn yn wahanol lle bo arwyddion ar adeiladau’r Cyngor Sir yn y cwestiwn. Mae Cyngor Sir Ceredigion wedi profi ei bwynt, rydym oll yn gwybod ei fod yn gwerthu rhannau o’i ystâd gorfforaethol yn Aberystwyth. Serch hyn, mae’n awgrymu fod y dref gyfan ar werth yn enwedig o ystyried maint yr arwyddion eu hunain.
Nawr ein bod yn gweld myfyrwyr posib a rhieni’n ymweld â’r brifysgol am gyfweliadau, ac mae’r Pasg ar y gorwel, mae’n rhoi’r argraff anghywir. Mae prynwyr posib yn annhebygol o ganfod cyfle busnes drwy edrych ar arwydd, maent yn fwy tebygol o fod wedi’i weld ar y we, mewn siop gwerthwr tai neu drwy siarad â rhywun. Mae hyn yn gwneud yr arwyddion yn ddianghenraid. Yn hytrach na rhoi’r argraff fod y dref ar werth, pam na all y Cyngor dynnu’r arwyddion i lawr, mae wedi profi ei bwynt.

Too many for sale signs in Aberystwyth

The multiplicity of 'for sale' and 'to let' signs in Aberystwyth are a clear function of the economic climate and an unfortunate by-product of circumstance. It can't be avoided.

I do take a different view with the signs attached to County Council buildings. Ceredigion County Council has made its point, we all now know that it is selling part of the corporate estate in Aberystwyth. However, it does make it appear as if the whole town is for sale particularly considering the size of the signs themselves.

Now that we are seeing potential students and parents visiting the university for interview and that Easter is just around the corner, it gives the wrong impression. Potential purchasers of the council estate are unlikely to discover a business opportunity by looking at a sign, they are more likely to have seen it on the internet, at an estate agent or probably by word of mouth. This makes the signs somewhat redundant. Rather than make it appear as if the town is for sale why can't the Council pull down the signs, it has made its point.

Party politics over eID won’t help farmers

Plaid Cymru Ceredigion’s Penri James has criticised LibDem and Conservative Assembly Members for putting party politics before the future of the agricultural industry in Wales.

During a Conservative-proposed debate on agriculture at the Senedd last week (28 January 2009), all 15 LibDem and Conservative AMs voted against the resulting motion which declared the Assembly’s opposition to the introduction of compulsory electronic identification for sheep.

Following the debate, Plaid Cymru’s Penri James said:

“Since this is European legislation passed by the relevant bodies, the One Wales Government has no option but to implement its requirements by December 2009. I was therefore very disappointed that the LibDem and Conservative AMs were encouraging the Rural Affairs Minister to flout European law and legal advice, and even more baffled that they voted against a motion stating the Assembly’s opposition to the introduction of eID.

“A failure to implement will result in financial penalties which will ultimately affect agricultural payments. This is certainly not what is required by the agricultural industry in the present economic climate! It seems that blind partisanship and party politics play a more important role in Conservative and Liberal Democrat politics than serving the real interests of farmers in Wales.

“The twin track policy of the Agriculture Minister, Elin Jones AM, is quite sensible: object to the compulsory implementation of EIDs and say so in Brussels but in the meantime proceed with the implementation programme here in Wales. It’s about time that opposition parties took a leaf from her book and put the sake of our farmers before party politics”.

Banking bonuses

City bankers seem to be oblivious to public opinion and oblivious to accepting the blame for the current financial crisis. To think that RBS are even prepared to consider paying £1bn in bonuses when we taxpayers have bailed them out is a real slap in the face and if the bank had been allowed to crash, there would be no funds available for such payments. There should be no bonuses.

What will be interesting is the meeting on Tuesday/Wednesday this week of leading bankers and MP's on the Treasury Select Committee and the Government has already announced an independent review of the bonus culture. Of critical imporance is the outcome - I don't see bonuses being outlawed but they should only be used in good times not bad. Bonuses should only be paid if the bank is in profit, bonuses should not be larger than the bank's profit, profit should be used to pay off debt before being used for bonus payments, bonuses should be spread equally among all employees not confined to the priviliged few, bonuses should not be attached to selling criteria only profitability criteria. All this assumes that we find bonuses acceptable, in the current financial climate I do not, and neither does public opinion.

Reaction to Welsh Language LCO

The reaction, or rather, the over reaction to the much awaited Welsh language LCO was to be expected. While LCO supporters have been measured in their response, the vitriol and negativity from its detractors hasn't conveyed any real arguments, it has all been based on 'the end of the world is here if this is passed'. I thought that Rhodri Morgan did a good job on BBC 5 Live this evening sounding practical and realistic. Alun Ffred can be heard on the matter below.

Alun Ffred Jones - publication of Welsh Language LCO from PlaidTV on Vimeo

Earlier this week Alun Michael MP mused during Welsh Questions that the LCO system was working successfully as if anticipating the same end result for the Welsh Language LCO as the earlier Housing LCO. A word of warning might be in order for Mr Michael, he and his anti Assembly cronies should refrain from creating too much of a precedent this side of the General Election as it will inevitably be used against them by the Conservatives should they be in a position of power. Not for the first time in Wales we would have seen the actions of minor princelings undermining the bigger national picture.

1911 Census

Researching family history and genealogy is a particular interest of mine. I apologise for using the old county designations but for the record here are the main surnames and locations I have an interest in:-

• James in Cardiganshire (Llanfihangel y Creuddyn, Talybont) and Meirionethshire (Tywyn)
• Mason in Cardiganshire
• Rowlands from Machynlleth
• Rowlands from Caernarvonshire
• Hughes in Liverpool
• Bevan in Carmarthenshire
• Davies from Llangadog

I had a look at the latest available census this week, what there is of it. The available counties are listed here. I actually accept the reasons why but it is a insight into the mindset of 1911 that numbering started in the south and worked its way north and west. I found a few relatives in Liverpool and Chester but will have to wait for the Welsh tribe. Its frustrating having to wait but not anything like the wait for the next releases. The 1921 Census is bound by the Census Act 1920 and will be closed for 100 years, the 1931 Census was lost in the war, there was no Census in 1941. The next will be the 1951 census released in 2051. The change in UK society from 1921 to 1951 was profound and a comparative analysis of both in 2051 will be a treasure trove for historians.

Electronic Identification Device (EID) - National Assembly debate

The Conservative instigated debate on Thursday 28/1/09 about EID's at the National Assembly was a strange event, technically it was about Welsh agriculture but it ended up discussing EID's and was portrayed by the Conservatives as an opportunity to voice support for Welsh agriculture. Nothing at all wrong with that but the end result seems to have the Conservatives and the opportunistic Liberal Democrats actually opposing Welsh agriculture!

To re-cap, Welsh agriculture is opposed to the introduction of EID's in the sheep flock because it is expensive, unreliable technology when applied in the larger flocks we have in Wales. However since this is European legislation passed by the relevant bodies, the One Wales Government has no option but to implement its requirements by December 2009. A failure to implement will result in financial penalities, which is not what is required at this point in time. The twin track policy of the Agriculture Minister, Elin Jones AC, is quite sensible, object to the compulsory implementation of EID's and say so in Brussels but in the meantime proceed with the implementation programme here in Wales. As an aside it seems that DEFRA has negotiated a derogation for sheep destined for slaughter which are less than 12 mths old. As with all regulations the devil is in the detail, which I am sure will emerge in the next few weeks. This would be an important derogation for Wales as well.

Back to the Assembly debate, the Conservatives made sensible points about the practicality of the scheme, and seemed to be encouraging the Minister to flout European law and legal advice. This is the party of law and order we are talking about! I had to read quite a bit from the Liberal Democrats to find out what they were saying - as usual not much substance. There was one relevant question - would the slaughter derogation apply in Wales? They were technically incorrect on another point, tracability doesn't stop or "Clonk" when the head is cut off. Individual animal tracability disappears but abattoirs are required to have batch numbers that identify the farm - its a moot point but relevant.

The final amended motion in the Plenary sessions reads thus:-

Motion NDM4120 as amended: that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. recognises the valuable role Welsh agriculture has to play in battling the economic downturn;
2. regrets the introduction of compulsory electronic identification for sheep;
3. notes that the current system of sheep tagging provides a fit-for-purpose system of traceability;
4. welcomes the Welsh Assembly Government’s continuing representations to the European Commission opposing the proposals to introduce electronic identification.

This is where I am perplexed, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats voted against this motion. I can therefore assume that they do not recognise the valuable role of Welsh agriculture in battling the economic downturn, they have no regrets on the introduction of electronic identification, they do not think that the current system is fit for purpose and do not welcome the Welsh Assembly Government's representations to the European Commission opposing electronic tagging. Have they gone mad? Again it seems that blind partisanship and party politics play a more important role in Conservative and Liberal Democrat politics than serving the real interests of farmers in Wales. The Conservatives were inconsistent in marshalling their arguments, and it will be a serious worry to Liberal Democrats that their new Leader was so comprehensively outmanouvered. The score Elin Jones 2 Conservatives and Liberal Democrats 0.