Farming

Pig farmers and meat processor join forces to add value to pork

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2025

A NEW co-operative formed between West Wales pig farmers and a meat supplier is allowing pork from herds born and reared within the region to be transported for processing just a short distance in a low-throughput abattoir – reducing stress on the animals, providing low food miles meat for consumers and improving producer margins.

The eight Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire-based farmers were brought together by the Farming Connect Agrisgôp initiative after the idea was discussed by Fishguard meat supplier and butcher Martyn Lloyd and Agrisgôp leader Lilwen Joynson.

Martyn had been a member of another Agrisgôp group where Lilwen had helped him to develop his idea for a new processing facility and later, at a Farming Connect mentoring meeting, the idea for the Red Dragon Porc Cyf co-operative was established.

Martyn and his wife, Danielle, had been unable to source low food miles pork for their customers.

“We could get beef and lamb and we have our own poultry but what we were missing was pork, we did our best to find Welsh pork for customers but that pork came with a lot of food miles and that doesn’t fit with our business ethos,’’ Martyn explains.

Developing an abattoir on their farm at Cilshafe presented a solution.

“We wanted to get some pork producers on board, to help them advance their businesses,’’ says Martyn.

“There are a lot of small pig producers in west Wales and many were struggling to work out how best to get their meat to the market but with an existing customer base we could help. We looked to Agrisgôp to help to bring that to life.’’

After the first Agrisgôp meeting, facilitated by Lilwen, the idea took shape.

Agrisgôp is a fully-funded management development programme that encourages eligible farmers to get together to not only develop their businesses, but to personally gain confidence and skills through action learning.

And this is what happened for the Red Dragon Porc Cyf members.

Farmers had been receiving inconsistent prices for their pigs when they marketed as individual businesses and their ability to supply a butcher directly was constrained as meeting supply volume requirements was tricky.

“The farmers shared a mission and were guided on putting their ideas into action,’’ Lilwen explains.

Building trust and confidence was crucial to the process of forming a cooperative.

“Collaboration and open sharing are definitely key,’’ says Lilwen.

“Differences of opinion and thinking had to be overcome and a set of rules and values adopted with individuals accepting that it had to work for the majority since they were no longer operating as individual businesses.’’

For some it even meant changing breeding patterns and breed type to accommodate market demands.

At the end of 2024, Red Dragon Porc Cyf had already marketed £43,000 worth of pork, including sausages which captured awards at last year’s Royal Welsh Winter Fair.

In April, the missing part of the local pork jigsaw slotted into position when the Lloyds started processing pork at their own Food Standards Agency-approved abattoir.

Until then, co-operative members including Will Kerr had to transport their pigs further to be processed.

“We didn’t have any control over prices, the margins were very small,’’ Will admits. “Martyn opening the abattoir in Fishguard has been the catalyst we needed.’’

Will has six Welsh pig breeding sows, which he runs alongside suckler beef and sheep enterprises at his family’s farm, Blaenawen, at Glanrhyd.

He had long been frustrated at the perception of pork being, in his words “the cheap cousin’’ of beef and lamb.

While it has become commonplace for butchers to display the full history of the beef and lamb they are selling, Will points out that this is rarely applied to pork because it is largely sourced wholesale or has been imported.

“We too are now in a position to tell the exciting story of our pork,’’ says Will, who farms with his parents, Mark and Kip.

He sees a major advantage in being part of a co-operative. “As a group we are more powerful, it gives us many advantages, we are already getting a better price for our pigs.

“Without Agrisgôp we would never have come together so we are grateful to Martyn for initiating it with Farming Connect and to Lilwen for pulling us all together.’’

Another member of the group, Ed Walker, also sees big value in collective marketing, that “strength in numbers’’.

“As eight producers we are on a par with commercial farmers as we can offer consistency of supply but we are still individual small producers too.’’

The businessman-turned-farmer produces around 600 pigs a year on an outdoor system at 46-acre Model Farm near Tenby.

His 22 breeding sows are a mixture of Large Whites crossed with a Welsh boar and Oxford Sandy and Blacks which he crosses to a Large White.

Keeping pigs started as hobby, alongside running his own civil engineering business, but it is now more or less a full-time job, with a part-time helper too.

Almost all his sales are through Red Dragon Porc Cyf although he is also licenced to sell meat from the farm as Tenby Woodland Pork.

Before the abattoir was established at Cilshafe, he would need to make a 150-mile round trip to the facility at Maesteg.

The next stage for the co-operative could be to establish a meat box scheme.

The throughput of pigs through the Lloyds’ abattoir, which also processes other livestock, will be small initially but that is projected to increase as sales gain momentum.

The facility has so far has created four full-time jobs and more could follow.

Picture caption:

Collaborating on pork marketing: Pictured from the left are Tom Young, Nic Caine, Martyn Lloyd, Ed Walker, Will Kerr and Lilwen Joynson

Business

Planners reject farm’s sheep milk gin distillery expansion

Published

4 hours ago

June 10, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL to keep a building which would partly be used a distillery at a Pembrokeshire farm which produces award-winning sheep milk-infused gin has been turned down by county planners.

In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, Steven and Julie Ayers of Fifth Flock Spirits Ltd through agent Johnston Planning Ltd sought permission for the retention of a replacement building for farm diversification purposes incorporating a gin distillery with associated function/tasting room, reception area for farm businesses, including the distillery, a kennels and caravan site, along with offices and associated storage facilities at Nash Mountain Farm, Sardis.

Two previous similar 2024 and 2025 applications have been refused, the latest scheme removing some previous elements.

A supporting statement said the building would be used for farm diversification purposes for a number of established rural enterprises on the holding “but primarily in connection with Fifth Flock Spirits Ltd, a family run drinks company specializing in gin infused with milk derived from the resident flock at Nash Mountain”.

It said the 2023-erected building had replaced an earlier long-standing dilapidated farm building on the site, and is intended to play host to the three established farm enterprises which are run in conjunction with the main agricultural operation: Nash Mountain Kennels, Nash Mountain Caravan and Camping Site and primarily Fifth Flock Ltd.

It said internal works had yet to be completed, and, in addition to the retention of the building, the application also seeks permission for some external works which have not yet been carried out.

The statement said the Ayers family has farmed at 26ha Nash Mountain, which has a flock of 168 East Friesian sheep, for some five generations, the limited acreage meaning “the agricultural mainstay is not sufficient to sustain a viable business,” leading to the farm diversifications, with Fifth Flock the latest.

It said, in addition to the main farming operation, Nash Mountain also gains income from an on-site wind turbine, a caravan site, a boarding kennels with cattery, and Fifth Flock Ltd.

On the gin side, the statement says: “Fifth Flock Spirits Ltd Fifth Flock has operated from Nash Mountain since August 2025. It is at core currently a drinks enterprise based on the production of gin and rum infused with sheep’s milk, however, as set out in the accompanying business plan, the intention is to expand the offer into other sheep-based products to capitalise on the home flock.

“Since launching the enterprise has exceeded expectations with strong demand and accolades including A Taste of Pembrokeshire Award at the Pembrokeshire Food and Farming Awards in December 2025.

“Firth Flock currently source their gin from an independent distillery in Gorgeddan, Ceredigion however the intention, as reflected in this submission, is to develop the distilling element on-site and include it as part of an immersive visitor experience focussing on the home flock.

“Firth Flock has rapidly become a cornerstone of the enterprise at Nash Mountain and whilst the building at the centre of this proposal may have been premature there is a strong case for its retention as part of the overall rural enterprise on the holding.”

It adds that the Ayers are actively exploring diversification into other wool and sheep-based products.

The application was refused on the grounds including it was not demonstrated a countyside location was needed and there was not “sufficient evidence of a genuine and established rural enterprise necessitating the development,” adding: “In particular, the primary distilling process does not currently take place at the site and instead relies on off-site production, with only a future aspiration to relocate such activities.

“As a result, the proposal represents a speculative form of development that lacks a clear and direct functional link to the agricultural holding.”

It went on to say the scale of the proposals “introduces a level of intensity and built form more akin to a standalone commercial or tourism enterprise, rather than a modest farm diversification scheme”.

Farming

Plaid challenged over badger cull fears as Labour demands answers

Published

23 hours ago

June 9, 2026

Tom Sinclair

WELSH LABOUR has challenged Plaid Cymru over fears that badger culling could return as part of the new Welsh Government’s approach to bovine TB.

Interim Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates questioned First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth in the Senedd today, Tuesday (Jun 9), after Plaid Cymru’s manifesto pledged a “new approach” to managing bovine TB which recognises wildlife as a source of infection and allows “scientifically validated control methods”.

Labour says the wording has raised concerns among animal welfare campaigners that badger culling could be reconsidered in Wales.

During First Minister’s Questions, Mr Skates asked: “What is Plaid Cymru’s preferred method of killing badgers? Is it to shoot badgers? To poison badgers? Perhaps bludgeon them, or gas them?

“Would you want the badgers shot or poisoned or do you have another method in mind?”

The First Minister did not rule out badger culling in his response, according to Welsh Labour.

However, Plaid Cymru has not explicitly said it will reintroduce badger culling. Its manifesto refers to “scientifically validated control methods”, wording which could cover a range of approaches unless ministers provide further clarification.

The issue remains highly sensitive in rural Wales. Farmers and farming unions have long argued that wildlife transmission must be addressed as part of any serious bovine TB strategy, while animal welfare campaigners strongly oppose any return to culling.

Labour said the previous Welsh Government rejected badger culling following research which it said showed the practice was cruel and ineffective in tackling the spread of bovine TB.

Mr Skates said: “I was appalled that the First Minister dismissed concerns raised about animal welfare today as ‘not a serious question’.

“Plaid Cymru’s approach to the outdated and cruel practice of culling badgers sets a dangerous precedent around how they will approach animal welfare. Which animal rights are they prepared to roll back on?

“Welsh Labour will continue to hold the government to account to ensure the progress made on a safer, kinder Wales for animals is not undone.”

Welsh Labour also pointed to its record on animal welfare, including bans on greyhound racing, snares and glue traps.

The Herald has asked Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Government to clarify whether badger culling is being considered.

Farming

Ffermio Bro support window opens for Pembrokeshire farmers

Published

3 days ago

June 7, 2026

Tom Sinclair

PEMBROKESHIRE farmers and land managers are being encouraged to apply for the latest round of Ffermio Bro support, with the next Expression of Interest window now open.

The scheme supports practical, farmer-led projects within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, helping to improve nature, water quality, habitat links, traditional boundaries, wildfire resilience and the wider farmed landscape.

The programme has already supported a range of projects across Pembrokeshire, including habitat restoration, watercourse fencing, traditional boundary restoration, firebreak creation and woodland connectivity work.

FARMERS SUPPORTED

During its first year, Ffermio Bro supported 37 farms and land managers across the National Park, with projects covering just under 3,000 hectares.

The work included more than four kilometres of hedgerow creation and restoration, over 800 metres of watercourse improvement and protection works, and around 27 hectares of woodland support and management.

A number of collaborative projects have also focused on improving biodiversity and ecosystem resilience across the National Park.

Arwel Evans, Conservation Farm Liaison Officer with the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, said: “The first year of Ffermio Bro has shown what can be achieved when farmers and land managers are supported to deliver practical conservation work on the ground.

“We’ve worked with farms across the National Park on projects ranging from habitat restoration and water quality improvements to traditional boundary work and wildfire resilience.

“Looking ahead to the next two years, we’re particularly keen to support projects that improve water quality and river resilience across catchments such as the Eastern and Western Cleddau, Nyfer and Gwaun.

“That includes practical measures such as riparian fencing, buffer strips, healthier soils and habitat management that help keep rivers clean and resilient for the future.”

FARM-LED PROJECTS

Gareth Waters, Ffermio Bro Advisor, added: “One of the strengths of the scheme is that projects are designed around individual farms and local priorities.

“We’re keen to support practical projects that deliver long-term benefits for both farming businesses and the landscape, and we’d encourage interested farmers to contact us before the deadline.”

The current application window for Ffermio Bro: Farming within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park will remain open until Monday, June 22.

Further information on the scheme, eligibility and how to submit an Expression of Interest can be found at www.pembrokeshirecoast.wales/ffermio-bro.

Caption: Farmers and land managers within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park are invited to apply for the latest round of Ffermio Bro landscape and conservation funding.