Country life returns to normal

A look back at the rural year in Wales 2002

Twelve-year-old Llion Jones had a huge smile on his face as he won the Welsh Black Cattle championship at the Winter Fair in Llanelwedd in mid Wales at the beginning of December.

He says he's determined to follow his father and grandfather's footsteps showing the old Welsh breed.

Both Tecwyn and Goronwy Jones of Ty Newydd, Nebo in Gwynedd have spent many successful years in the show rings.

"It's important for young people to come to shows and learn how to do things properly - and win of course," says Llion.

At the end of another tough year this farmer's son from the Conwy Valley is one example of the young blood waiting in the wings to take hold of the industry's reins.

And it's been a testing time for farming and the agricultural shows.

They were all cancelled last year because of foot-and-mouth.

But the support didn't dwindle.

There's no doubt that most of the county shows and the Royal Welsh in Llanelwedd were astounding successes although the number of entries in the livestock sections were slightly down because of the prevailing animal movement restrictions.

Life for the smaller shows wasn't as easy.

The first show of the season - at Nefyn on the Llyn Peninsula during Easter - had to be cancelled because of the all the complex bio security rules.

Another rule - known as the 20-day rule - introduced in the wake of the foot-and-mouth epidemic is still causing the industry huge problems.

Farming leaders have warned that some livestock markets will struggle if the rule continues into the new year.

But at the moment it seems animal movement restrictions of one form or another are set to stay for some time to come.

Bovine TB has also been a headache for many farms in mid and west Wales.

It's not a new problem - but 2002 did see TB in new areas and a growing number of calls to try and pinpoint the cause of the increase.

The highly-controversial issue of a link between TB in badgers and cattle continues to be debated and research work - which is confined to areas of England - is still some way off from being completed.

But an issue which will have to be resolved early next year is the setting up of a new company to promote and market red meat in Wales.

Throughout the last twelve months the negotiations have been riddled with problems.

The five partners which are to be part of the new venture all say they support the idea in principle - so far, however, not all of them are pulling in the same direction.

The year finished on a stormy note with the long awaited publication of the bill on the future of hunting with dogs.

UK Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael's recommendation to ban hare coursing and stag hunting but to allow hunting foxes under licence doesn't appear to have pleased anyone - with both pro-and anti-hunt factions getting ready for battle.