Farming

FUW puts spotlight on rural economy

Published

10 years ago

June 22, 2016

HOW MANY businesses are involved in the running of a farm and how many people are directly and indirectly employed by the agricultural sector?

How reliant is the rural community really on farming? Those were the questions the Farmers’ Union of Wales asked recently.

We often think about the obvious options, such as feed merchants, sales and auctioneers businesses, farm contractors etc. but how much does just one farm really contribute?

To try and answer these questions Mid Wales farmers John Yeomans, his wife Sarah and son Joe, recently hosted an event that put the spotlight on the importance of agriculture in the rural economy, at their farm Llwyn y Brain, Adfa, near Newtown.

A survey of the businesses that the Yeomans family deal with revealed 2,347 jobs at local and Welsh level and also 225,980 at a wider national level were dependent on the survival of those businesses.

On the farm, the Yeomans family run a herd of 73 cows consisting of pedigree Limousin, Limousin x, Belgian Blue x, and 15 homebred replacement heifers (closed herd).

They further keep 495 ewes which are mainly Beulah and 160 Beulah ewe lambs and the flock has been closed since 1981.

The couple sell Beulah draft ewes and some yearlings, as well as Welsh Mule ewe lambs for breeding and sell finished lambs on a deadweight basis

The 232 acres of owned farmland sit between 750 feet to 1420 above sea level, with 100 acres (34.8ha) of lower land and 132 acres (53.4ha) of largely improved hill land.

A further 53 acres of additional land is rented.

John, who was keen to explore the wider economic impact his business has on the wider rural economy, said: “Following the downturn in agriculture over recent times and across almost all sectors, I wanted to help highlight the importance of a thriving agricultural sector on the economy – both locally and much further afield.

“Farmers are an exceptional conduit for money, so if their businesses are thriving they reinvest and this, in turn, brings wealth and good fortune to others.

“The difficult times we are facing are clearly already impacting on our ancillary and support industries and businesses.

“With this in mind, we were pleased to put the spotlight on all the businesses – both local and further afield – that have some stake in our survival. Our relationship with these businesses is symbiotic and crucial to both our successes.”

BUSINESSES

ANSWER THE CALL

The event was attended by an array of local businesses and representatives such as Agri-Advisor, Agrimin, Bibby’s, Alpha Plumbers, FUW Insurance Services Ltd., E W Bumford & Co, RVW Pugh Ltd, I Jerman, Binding Tyre Services, Countrywide, Westflight, Morris Marshall and Poole, British Wool Marketing Board, Wynnstay, R G and G R Francis, McCartneys, OPICO, Sainsbury’s, Genus, KiwiKit, Dunbia, E George & Son, Dow AgroSciences, Trefaldwyn Vets, Zoetis, Shearwell Data and HSBC, who play a role in John and Sarah’s daily business routine.

Mr Yeomans said: “I must thank the businesses who came to support the event and those that responded to our short survey for the valuable contribution they make to our business and the wider rural economy.

“Supermarkets and slaughterhouses are just as important in our business as our local garage.

“Over 22% of the employment in Wales is linked to farming or food in some way, so it is worth noting the important role we all play in keeping our economic powerhouse going.

“Individually we may not be making a fortune for our solicitor, bank, garage or anything else. But together we are an important force.

“We hope days like this will help to get the message across about the connection between British food and the many businesses connected to it, why it is worth supporting your local farmer and how much of a difference each individual can make in terms of giving back to the local economy.”

THE ELECTRICAL WHOLESALER

City Electrical Factors (CEF) are one of the businesses the Yeomans family trade with. C.E.F. are a national Electrical Wholesaler supplying businesses the length and breadth of the UK.

The Newtown and Welshpool branches sit in the heart of Mid-Wales and as such are two of the most rural branches in the C.E.F. network.

Across these two branches the company employs 11 staff, and nationally they employ about 2750 members of staff.

Darryl Owen, manager of the two branches, said: “I feel it’s very important to employ local people to serve local people. Many of my staff have strong links to the local agricultural and Farming community.

“For us, in such a rural area, any downturn in agriculture has a serious knock on effect to our business and turnover in Newtown and Welshpool.

“It is not just the direct effect from farming businesses but indirectly through the Electrical Contractors who serve this market sector. We service a very wide and diverse market sector which can all be affected by any downturn in the Farming community.

“Many small industries in Mid- Wales are reliant on a strong agricultural customer base. If these small business begin to struggle they stop spending and that’s a big issue for us.

“The on-going success of C.E.F. in Mid-Wales is undoubtedly linked to the success of our agricultural community. Any effort or campaign that will highlight the importance of a healthy rural economy will definitely have my support.”

MACHINERY SALES

RVW Pugh Ltd, an agricultural machinery dealership that specialise in the sales and aftersales of tractors and farm machinery to the agricultural industry, have their head office in Mellington, Mid Wales.

They have two further depots in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire and Market Drayton, Shropshire.

The company employs 54 employees over the three depots, with 35 of them employed at the head office in Mellington.

Robert Pugh, Managing Director, said: “Agriculture is the backbone of our business, more than 95% of our customers are farmers/contractors. We are obviously feeling the knock on effect of farmers struggling with commodity and produce prices, along with late receipt of single farm payments… at the moment we are owed £1.5m from creditors which fall outside of our 30 day credit terms.

“This obviously puts pressure on our business and holds up cash flow which we could use to further improve and invest in our business during these difficult times.”

AGRICULTURE THE

WELSH POWERHOUSE

Glyn Roberts, FUW President, who attended the event, said: “All the businesses that make the wheel of our rural economy go round have an important role to play in our daily lives and indeed how we all survive and make a living.

“We know that a lot of second and third sector businesses are already struggling as a result of the knock on impact of low agricultural incomes and farmgate prices, and the potential wider impact if there was to be a further downturn in farm incomes could be catastrophic.

“We must remember that agriculture is the powerhouse of the rural economy, generates billions of pounds which benefit a host of industries including many not directly associated with agriculture – something that is clear to see here – today-.

“The impact of the most recent recession on our economy as a whole has been severe, but there can be no doubt that in rural Britain and many of our urban areas the impact has been buffered by the core role agriculture has played in generating income for communities the length and breadth of the UK.

“With this in mind – we as the Farmers’ Union of Wales – will continue to represent and fight for those who make a living off the land and through that, support those second and third sector industries- as we have done since 1955 – in Cardiff, London and Brussels.”

FUW Montgomeryshire County Chairman, Mark Williams, added: “We were keen to explore in more detail how our rural economic powerhouse is sustained by individual farm businesses.

“You’ve got your farm and the people who might be employed on it, whether that is family or external contractors, but it is also about the feed merchants, contractors, machinery dealers, local garages, supermarkets, farm shops, auctioneers, banks and solicitors– all of the businesses that are involved either in a direct or indirect capacity.

“The message going back to consumers across the UK has to be ‘Support your local farmer – Support a thriving rural economy’.”

Business

Langdon Mill Farm Pembrokeshire expansion signed off

Published

23 hours ago

February 8, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

THE FINAL sign-off for plans for a heifer accommodation building and associated works at one of Pembrokeshire’s largest dairy farms, with a milking herd of 2,000 cows, have been given the go-ahead.

In an application backed by councillors at the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, Hugh James of Langdon Mill Farms Ltd sought permission for a 160-metre-long heifer accommodation building, a slurry separation/dewatering building and associated yard areas at 1,215-hectare Langdon Mill Farm, near Jeffreyston, Kilgetty.

A supporting statement through agent Reading Agricultural Consultants said: “The holding currently has a milking herd of approximately 2,000 cows, which are housed indoors for the majority of the year, with dry cows and heifers grazed outdoors when weather and soil conditions permit.

“There has been significant investment in buildings and infrastructure at the farm over the last decade in respect of cattle accommodation, slurry storage, milking facilities, Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant, feed storage. Recently a calf and weaned calf accommodation buildings were approved by Pembrokeshire County Council with construction almost complete.

“The unit is efficient, achieving yields of more than 10,000 litres/cow/year, with cows being milked three times/day in the 60-point rotary parlour. Langdon Mill Farm currently directly employs 21 full-time, and three part-time staff. Of these, four live on site in the two dwellings opposite the farm, with the remaining staff living in the locality.”

It added: “Although the unit has previously purchased heifers to aid expansion, the farm now breeds most of its own replacements to improve genetics and to minimise the ongoing threat of bovine tuberculosis (bTB).”

It said the proposed building would be used by heifers between the ages of 7-22 months, the siting “directly influenced by the adjacent calf and weaned calf buildings, with livestock being moved from one building to the next as they get older”.

Members unanimously supported the recommendation of approval, giving delegated powers to the interim head of planning to approve the application following the final approval of a habitats regulations assessment.

An officer report published yesterday, February 5, said Natural Resources Wales confirmed it had received the assessment, and, “in consideration of the mitigation measures detailed and on the understanding there is no increase in stock, they agree with the LPA’s conclusion that an adverse effect upon the integrity of the SAC [Special Areas of Conservation] sites can be ruled out”.

Formal delegated approval has now been granted by officers.

Farming

Forgotten meats tipped as future ‘superfood’ comeback

Published

2 days ago

February 6, 2026

Tom Sinclair

SO-CALLED “forgotten meats” such as liver, heart and kidneys could soon find their way back onto dinner plates, with scientists suggesting they may offer a cheap, sustainable and highly nutritious alternative to modern ultra-processed foods.

Offal was once a staple of everyday diets across the UK, particularly in working-class households, but has steadily fallen out of favour in recent decades despite being rich in iron, protein and essential vitamins.

Now researchers at Aberystwyth University are working with Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) to understand why demand has dropped and whether these cuts could be repositioned as affordable “superfoods”.

Scientists say that when nutrient-dense parts of the animal go uneaten, valuable food is effectively wasted.

Dr Siân Mackintosh, from the university’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), said these meats could play an important role in healthier and more sustainable diets.

“Where they are not being used, these nutrient-dense ‘forgotten meats’ represent a significant loss of nutrients from our food chain,” she said. “Incorporating them as part of a balanced diet could support human health while also reducing food waste and improving environmental outcomes.”

Taste tests win over public

To test public attitudes, HCC staff have been running tasting sessions at major agricultural events including the Royal Welsh Show and the Winter Fair in Llanelwedd.

Visitors sampled dishes made with Welsh lamb’s liver, including stroganoff, traditional faggots and pâté. Organisers say many people were surprised by the flavour and keen to learn how to cook them at home.

Dr Eleri Thomas, Future Policy and Project Development Executive at HCC, said interest was stronger than expected.

“We believe there is significant potential for these forgotten meats to be incorporated back into our diets,” she said. “Consumers liked the flavour and wanted recipes and cooking tips, as well as understanding the nutritional value.”

She added that making better use of undervalued cuts could improve sustainability across the meat supply chain while creating new marketing opportunities for Welsh producers.

Part of wider sustainability project

The work forms part of the SMART Nutrient Cymru project, funded through the Welsh Government’s innovation support scheme.

Project lead Dr Christina Marley said the aim is to capture nutrients currently being lost across the agri-food system.

Alongside the collaboration with HCC, the team has also partnered with Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water on land management to protect rivers, and with British Wool to explore new uses for fleece by-products.

IBERS itself is one of eight UK research institutes strategically supported by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, providing national expertise in grassland and plant breeding science.

Researchers say that with food prices rising and pressure growing to reduce waste, traditional nose-to-tail eating could offer both economic and environmental benefits.

Image: Welsh lamb faggots (Pic: HCC)

Community

Celebrating nature recovery through Cysylltu Natur 25×25

Published

5 days ago

February 4, 2026

Richard Lewis

A CELEBRATION event was held on Saturday, January 24 in Cwm Gwaun to mark the achievements of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority’s Cysylltu Natur 25×25 project, bringing together volunteers, farmers and staff involved in delivering nature restoration across North Pembrokeshire.

The landscape-scale project was funded by the Welsh Government through the Nature Networks Programme, delivered by the Heritage Fund. The Programme aims to strengthen ecological connectivity and resilience by restoring habitats at scale.

Those attending the event heard about the wide range of conservation activity delivered through the project across the north of the National Park. This has included practical works to restore grazing to Rhos pasture to benefit marsh fritillary butterflies and southern damselflies, specialist work to conserve rare lichens, volunteer chough, dormouse and harvest mouse monitoring, safeguarding greater horseshoe bat hibernation sites, and targeted action to tackle invasive species threatening important sites.

Volunteers, farmers, land managers and contractors played a vital role in the success of the project, contributing local knowledge, practical skills and ongoing commitment to caring for Pembrokeshire’s unique landscapes and wildlife in the long term.

Mary Chadwick, Conservation Officer for Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, said: “Cysylltu Natur 25×25 has shown what can be achieved when farmers, volunteers and conservation specialists work together with a shared aim.

“From monitoring some of our most elusive species to restoring and protecting habitats, the dedication of everyone involved has made a real difference for nature across the National Park.”

Although the Cysylltu Natur 25×25 project is now coming to an end, the important work it has supported will continue. Building on its successes, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority will carry this momentum forward through the next phase of nature recovery work under NNF4 Cysylltiadau Naturiol / Naturally Connected, ensuring ongoing protection and enhancement of habitats for future generations.