Farming

Mutual interest in protecting farm water supply leads to mentoring partnership

Published

10 months ago

February 2, 2025

THE RIPPLE EFFET of positive change is being experienced on farms and other
agri-businesses across Wales thanks to the Farming Connect Mentoring programme.

Farmers like Dai Evershed, who benefitted from the guidance and expertise of a friend and colleague when he returned to the family farming business in Ceredigion in 2022, are “paying it forward’’ as a mentor.

For his mentees, including Powys sheep farmer Aled Haynes, the mentoring relationship has armed them with the knowledge and confidence to move forward with new aspects of their own businesses.

It was Dai’s experience of utilising smart sensor technology at Wallog, the 194-hectare holding near Clarach which he farms with his father, Jack, that brought the two men together.

Dai uses LoRaWAN technology to monitor water supply and use across the farm, and to detect and stop leaks at the earliest opportunity, thus safeguarding the limited spring water supply for his farm.

With support from Farming Connect as an ‘Our Farms’ project, water levels at different reservoirs are being monitored alongside flow rates of water and that information is being used to inform decisions on when pumping is necessary.

Aled was keen to apply this technology to help protect his own water supply at Trefnant Isaf, Welshpool, and applied to Farming Connect to be mentored by Dai.

He had attended a Farming Connect open day at Wallog in 2024 where he had learned about Dai’s project.

The two men had an initial meeting at Trefnant Isaf and have since followed that with a second site visit as well as video and telephone calls.

“Aled’s farm is similar to mine,’’ says Dai. “When I visited, we had a walk around and discussed what needed doing.’’

But Dai stressed that a mentor is not a consultant, the role is one intended to help mentees come up with solutions themselves, although be it through a “mutual development of ideas’’.

“It’s about encouraging the mentee to concentrate on what their goals are and what can be achieved,’’ Dai explains.

“Aled took my personal experience into account though and looked at what was doable in his situation.’’

Aled has since invested in two sensors, one which monitors water levels in the receiving tank and the other the flow rate.

This data will enable him to know how much excess water becomes available in the winter and therefore the extra capacity in the system for supply in the drier months.

The next step is to work out how much is consumed by his livestock and how to get that water to different parts of the farm.

Dai also works at the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University and his own knowledge of LoRaWAN technology was developed with support from his colleague, Jason Brook.

“Jason was very knowledgeable in usage of LoRaWAN after implementing it in the controlled environmental growing facilities at the university,’’ he says.

“He helped me in the early stages and with any issues latterly.’’

It is that experience which, in part, encouraged Dai to engage with the Farming Connect Mentoring programme.

“I had help when I needed it and am grateful to be that person who can now pay it forward with what I have learned.’’

He was sure that the knowledge he had gained could be useful to other farmers.

“It is a niche area that could be valuable for farmers who want to do something similar and need help.

“Most farmers are unlikely to have been exposed to LoRaWAN and sensors and it is doubly challenging perhaps in that it can also be a complicated subject matter.’’

His innovative approach to water efficiency saw him named as runner-up in the Farming Connect Farm Innovator Award at the recent Lantra Cymru Awards 2024.

It is not only mentees who gain from mentoring, reckons Dai, who is now a mentor to three farmers.

“I have learned so much from the farmers I have mentored, it is very much a two-way thing, an exchange of ideas.

“It is a brilliant way for me to see different farming systems and, as someone who is relatively new to farming, that has been very beneficial.’’

So, what makes a good mentor? In Dai’s opinion, it is having an unlimited capacity to listen and to be open to the ideas of others, to help the mentee to develop their own ideas.

“We are there to help the people we mentor grow and to find the motivation to move forward with their ideas,’’ he says.

There are also occasions when a mentor can draw on their own experiences to help those they are working with to solve problems.

“Aled called me when a sensor wasn’t working and it sounded like a similar situation to one I had previously experienced, when a slug had found its way inside the sensor,’’ Dai explains.

“I suggested that he checked for slugs and in fact that was the problem and he was able to resolve it. Sometimes problems have simpler solutions than you can dare imagine!’’

For Aled, the opportunity to discuss some of his ideas with Dai has been very beneficial for him personally and his business.

“Every situation is different so having someone come to the farm, to have a look at the set-up and to bounce ideas off, is really worthwhile,’’ he says.

With a big range of potential mentors with different areas of expertise listed in the Farming Connect Mentoring directory, Aled encourages others to take up the opportunity and capitalise on that wealth of knowledge.

Farming

‘Poor decision’ New Creamston housing condition overturned

Published

4 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A “POOR DECISION” agricultural worker-only imposed nearly 40 years ago has been removed from a Pembrokeshire property by county planners.

In an application recommended to be approved at the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County council’s planning committee, Tim and Cathy Arthur sought permission for the removal of an agricultural worker-only condition at New Creamson, Creamston Road, near Haverfordwest.

An officer report for members said the agricultural condition was imposed when the dwelling was built in 1988/89, with a later certificate of lawful development granted this year after it was proven the site had been occupied for more than 10 years on breach of that condition.

An application for a certificate of lawfulness allows an applicant to stay at a development if they can provide proof of occupancy over a prolonged period.

Speaking at the meeting, agent Andrew Vaughan-Harries of Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd told members the original agriculture-only condition was a poor decision by planners back nearly four decades ago.

“When this application was made in 1988-89 we go back to the Preseli District Council – I was still in school – it was only a 50-acre farm, it should never have been approved as it shouldn’t have been viable.

“The current applicants have owned it for the last 20 years; they’ve tried to grow apples but couldn’t make a go of it and then went in to holiday lets. We can’t enforce redundant conditions from bad decisions made years ago.”

Approval was moved by Cllr Brian Hall and unanimously supported by committee members.

Business

Cwm Deri Vineyard Martletwy holiday lets plans deferred

Published

18 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

CALLS to convert a former vineyard restaurant in rural Pembrokeshire which had been recommended for refusal has been given a breathing space by planners.

In an application recommended for refusal at the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, Barry Cadogan sought permission for a farm diversification and expansion of an existing holiday operation through the conversion of the redundant former Cwm Deri vineyard production base and restaurant to three holiday lets at Oaklea, Martletwy.

It was recommended for refusal on the grounds of the open countryside location being contrary to planning policy and there was no evidence submitted that the application would not increase foul flows and that nutrient neutrality in the Pembrokeshire Marine SAC would be achieved within this catchment.

An officer report said that, while the scheme was suggested as a form of farm diversification, no detail had been provided in the form of a business case.

Speaking at the meeting, agent Andrew Vaughan-Harries of Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd, after the committee had enjoyed a seasonal break for mince pies, said of the recommendation for refusal: “I’m a bit grumpy over this one; the client has done everything right, he has talked with the authority and it’s not in retrospect but has had a negative report from your officers.”

He said the former Cwm Deri vineyard had been a very successful business, with a shop and a restaurant catering for ‘100 covers’ before it closed two three years ago when the original owner relocated to Carmarthenshire.

He said Mr Cadogan then bought the site, farming over 36 acres and running a small campsite of 20 spaces, but didn’t wish to run a café or a wine shop; arguing the “beautiful kitchen” and facilities would easily convert to holiday let use.

He said a “common sense approach” showed a septic tank that could cope with a restaurant of “100 covers” could cope with three holiday lets, describing the nitrates issue as “a red herring”.

He suggested a deferral for further information to be provided by the applicant, adding: “This is a big, missed opportunity if we just kick this out today, there’s a building sitting there not creating any jobs.”

On the ‘open countryside’ argument, he said that while many viewed Martletwy as “a little bit in the sticks” there was already permission for the campsite, and the restaurant, and the Bluestone holiday park and the Wild Lakes water park were roughly a mile or so away.

He said converting the former restaurant would “be an asset to bring it over to tourism,” adding: “We don’t all want to stay in Tenby or the Ty Hotel in Milford Haven.”

While Cllr Nick Neuman felt the nutrients issue could be overcome, Cllr Michael Williams warned the application was “clearly outside policy,” recommending it be refused.

A counter-proposal, by Cllr Tony Wilcox, called for a site visit before any decision was made, the application returning to a future committee; members voting seven to three in favour of that.

Farming

Farmers Union of Wales Warns: Labour’s 5G Expansion Risks Rural Blackspots

Published

2 days ago

December 3, 2025

Tom Sinclair

FUW Joins Landowners in Urgent Call to Pause Controversial Telecoms Reforms

THE FUW (Farmers’ Union of Wales) has warned that rural communities face worsening mobile blackspots and farmers risk losing essential income if the Labour Government expands a telecoms policy blamed for stalling Britain’s 5G rollout.

In a letter to Digital Economy Minister Liz Lloyd, the FUW aligns with landowners, investors, and property experts demanding a halt to Part 2 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) Act 2022. Extending the 2017 Electronic Communications Code (ECC) would “entrench failure,” the group argues, sparking more stalled renewals, site losses, and legal battles just as Wales needs swifter rural connectivity.

The 2017 reforms empowered operators to cut mast rents—often by 90%—from hosts like farmers, councils, and NHS trusts. Far from boosting rollout, they’ve ignited over 1,000 tribunal cases since 2017, versus 33 in the prior three decades. Rural goodwill has eroded, with hosts now eyeing exits.

“Every lost mast isolates households, schools, and businesses,” the FUW states. “No public subsidy can fix this systemic damage.”

A survey of 559 hosts (via NFU, CLA, BPF) shows:

35% considering full withdrawal.
70% of expired lease holders facing operator legal threats.

Landowner Ted Hobbs in New Tredegar shares the pain: “My 1995 Vodafone lease was £3,500 yearly, renewed in 2010 at the same rate. It expired May 2025—now they demand a slash, backed by the Code. This is confiscation, not partnership.”

Labour’s push forward—despite earlier opposition and a critical consultation—ignores these red flags.

FUW President Ian Rickman adds: “Farmers hosted masts in good faith for rural connectivity. Punishing them with rent cuts sabotages Wales. Halt this now, restore trust, and incentivise real progress.”

The coalition urges ministers to reopen dialogue before deepening rural divides. Wales can’t afford more policy missteps.