Each finalist has received numerous nominations from adoring customers and supporters. Each of the below finalists will be invited to a reception at the Welsh Assembly in January in order to celebrate rural Wales and hear who the overall Welsh Champions are. Those Welsh Champions will then go forward to the Parliamentary Grand Final to be held at Westminster in March. The 2011 finalists for Wales are:

Local Food category finalists

• Beacons Farm Shop, Middlewood Farm, Brecon, Powys, 01874 730929, http://www.beaconsfarmshop.co.uk/Beacons-Farm-Shop-About-Us.html 
• Caermynydd Piggery, Tregaron, Ceredigion, 01974 821 361,http://caermynydd-piggery.co.uk 
• Goetre Farm Shop, Llandysul, Carmarthenshire, 01570 480671,www.goetrefarm.co.uk 
• Hawarden Estate Farm Shop, Hawarden, Flintshire,01244 533442 http://hawardenestate.co.uk 

Village Shop category finalists

• The Village Stores, Llansteffan, Carmarthenshire, 01267 241756
• Tregaron Post Office, Tregaron, Ceredigion, 08457 22 33 44
• Cwm Trannon, Trefeglwys, Caersws, Powys, 01686 430430,www.cwmtrannon.co.uk 
• Merlins Bridge Post Office, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, 01437 762521

Enterprise category finalists

• Bob Valentine Shooting School, Wern Newydd, Llanbedrog, Gwynedd, 01758 740 810, http://www.theshootingschool.com 
• Caroline's Real Bread Company, Merthyr Cynog, Brecon, Powys, 01874 690 378, www.carolinesrealbreadcompany.co.uk
• Pethau Melys, Yr Harbwr, Porthmadog, Gwynedd, 01766 512569
• The Golden Lion, Llangynhafal, Denbigh, Clwyd, 01824 790451www.thegoldenlioninn.com

Butcher category finalists

• T.J. Roberts Butchers, Bala, Gwynedd, 01678 520471
• W J George Butchers, Talgarth, Powys, 01874 711233,www.talgarthmeat.com
• William Lloyd Williams, Machynlleth, Powys 01654 702106www.wil-lloyd.co.uk 
• Martin Player Butcher, Whitchurch, Cardiff, 02920 616094www.martinplayer.com

Good luck to everyone involved and a huge thanks to those who nominated – these awards just get better and better!! 

A fact sheet setting out the requirements will be available to farmers at the Winter Fair and a Farmers Guide to Cross Compliance Factsheet will be issued to farmers in mid December. In addition, an article will feature in the November edition of Gwlad and a reminder will feature in subsequent issues.
Improved water quality – the theme continues through the Environment Agency too:

Septic tank registrations to be in by December 2012. 

The need to register is part of environmental regulations for both England and Wales, introduced in 2010. 

Poorly maintained septic tanks are contributing to poor water quality in rivers, lakes and coastal waters. There is also a danger that pollution from septic tanks could contaminate private water supplies from wells, boreholes and springs.

By knowing the location of septic tanks, the Environment Agency can check for any that are poorly maintained that could be the cause of pollution. 

In Wales, for the majority of people, registration is a simple, free of charge process and a one off requirement. You can register on our website or call 03708 506 506 and ask to speak to an advisor. 

Single properties with up to 9 occupants should qualify for an exemption. However, for larger septic tanks or those that discharge in a sensitive area (less than 3% of the septic tanks in Wales) there may be a £125 charge, as they will need a permit. 

This week we welcomed Chancellor George Osborne's cut in fuel duty, contained in the Autumn Statement. Last week we had a comment piece in The Sun calling for this, so are gratified to see our call has been heard. We have also welcomed the renewed focus on the rural economy through the Rural Economy Growth Review.

Mr Osborne has provided a much needed boost to the rural economy by scrapping the planned rise in fuel duty, as we urged, and investing in projects ranging from rural broadband to countryside tourism. But he is pinning a lot of his hopes for growth on a simplification of the planning legislation, for which it is essential that working with rural communities is prioritised to ensure our natural environment and the British countryside is protected from over-development.

The release of the Rural Economy Growth Review, which coincided with the Chancellor's Autumn Statement, has seen several key successes for the Countryside Alliance campaigns on the rural economy and people who live in rural areas.

Click here to read the Countryside Alliance's take on the issues contained in the Rural Economy Growth Review such as the vital issue of fuel duty, improving mobile network coverage, rural broadband, Rural Growth Networks, rural tourism, empty homes and local transport.