Wales Farmer JANUARY 2014 NEWS 7


DIVERSIFICATION: Cig Cennin Cyf members Dafydd Roberts, John Edwards and Gareth Hughes.


PICTURE: Debbie James.


Joining forces to safeguard sheepfarming


EIGHT farmers whose families have grazed sheep on some of Wales’ highest mountains for generations have joined forces to secure the future of livestock pro-


duction in the region. The farmers,whose flocks


grazethe spectacular Carneddau Mountain Range in Snowdonia, realised therewas aneed to tar- get newmarkets fortheir lamb because of falling support pay- ments post-CAP reform. They formed Cig Cennin Cyf


to develop and markettheir lamb through direct sales; they arealso exploring other sales opportunities,including ready meal curries and spit-roast lamb. One of the group members, John Edwards,


said this


approach wasanalternative to selling lamb at livestock markets whereprices could be unpre- dictable.


By Debbie James “Together we have combined


sales of around 3,000 lambs annually, so as agroup we are looking at ways of getting abet- ter return forour hardworkand to have moresay in the price we receive forour product,”hesaid. Demand forthis small, hardy


sheep breed has diminished in recent years because of the financial turmoil in major European markets,including Greece and Portugal. This has impacted on the mar-


ketprice overall, with the price per head dipping as lowas£20. The combination of reduced returns and the loss of Tir Mynyddenvironmental pay- ments has galvanised the Cig Cennin Cyf farmers into action to safeguardtheir businesses for futuregenerations. Through the action-learning


programme,Agrisgôp,the group explored options forgenerating


additional farmincome.


Agrisgôp,deliveredbyMenter a Busnes on behalf of Farming Connect, enabled the farmers to research diversification opportu- nities and to develop acurry recipe thatthey nowplan to take to the market. They arehoping to sell the


curries to local food service and retail outlets and at shows and other events. The group has also been cho-


sen to work with Conwy County Borough Council to develop a direct sales link within Conwy; this opportunity will see lamb sold to hotels,restaurants and other food outlets in the area. One of the farmers,Gareth


Hughes,said the group’s research had identified strong demand forlocal food. “Wealreadyhad aniche prod-


uct so we thought we would enhance the income we get forit by selling it ourselves rather than letting it go foraridiculouslylow


price,” he explained. His sheep grazetwo mountain


peaks thatrise to 3,000 feet. The sheep on the Carneddau Range aregrass fed and lamb outdoors in April. “The sheep areonthe hill all


the year round, it’sabout as nat- ural as it gets,” said Gareth. His neighbour,John Edwards,


said the project would neverhave come to fruition had it not been forAgrisgôp and the Meirio- nnyddleader,Clwyd Evans. “Although the group members


have known each other foryears, Agrisgôp wasthe stepping stone. We have been very fortunate to have avery forwardthinking leader,” said John. Agrisgôp is afully-funded


management development pro- gramme provided by Farming Connect forthose involved in farmand forestry businesses.It brings together individuals and families at alocal leveltodiscuss and takeforwardbusiness ideas.


Act quicklyfor achance to have asay on new tractor speed limits


FARMERS arebeing urged to have their sayonincreasing the weight and speed limits fortrac- tors used on UK roads. The Department of Transport


has launched aconsultation on proposals to increase the speed limit fortractors to 25mph and


the weight limit fortractors and trailers to 31 tonnes,orupto33 or 37 tonnes foratractor with tri-axle trailer with road friendly suspension. Perkin Evans,chairman of


NFU Cymru’scombinablecrops and horticultureworking group,


said: “Bringinglegislation into line with the technological capa- bilities and carrying capacity of modern tractors and trailers will allowfarmers to transport pro- duce moreefficiently. “Restrictions on 21st century tractors and trailers continue to


prevent the efficient transport of crops from the field.” The consultation runs until


January 30th and can be viewed online at www.gov.uk/govern- ment/consultations/agricultural- weight-limits-for-trailers-and- combinations.


New website for agricultural jobs launched


ANEW online agricultural job- site has been launched. Agricultural and farming jobs


aims to become the first port of call forjob seekers and advertis-


ers in arange of jobs including sale,retail, administration, mar- keting, food, engineering, educa- tion, rural property and estate management,agronomy, horti-


culture, agricultural manage- ment, international jobs,and graduate and apprentice place- ments. The site is offering free job


advertising forthe whole of December and it is free to use for job seekers. Go to www.agriFJ.co.uk or call 0845 851 0000.


For the latest Wales farming news: walesfarmer.co.uk


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