The event, held at Phill and Heledd Dancer’s farm in Cemmaes, as part of the union’s Welsh Farming Week, was an opportunity to bring stakeholders together to discuss issues affecting tenant farmers and the value that tenant farms bring to rural communities and local, young families.
First generation farmers, Phill and Heledd, who have two young children, secured their council-owned farm tenancy at Tan y Ffordd six years ago, and since then have made great strides in building up the business to what it is today. As well as rearing 23,000 pheasants every year, they run 300 ewes on the 130-acre holding, which consists of mainly Texel and Aberfield Cross ewes. The lambs are then sold on the fat or as stores later in the year through Ruthin Farmers Market. They also run a flock of performance recorded South County Cheviots, some Pedigree Texels and a few Dutch Spotted sheep that they have bought for their son William. At various times of the year they also keep cattle and pigs for use in their meat boxes, a diversification project to help bring more income into the farming business and help with their cash flow.
NFU Cymru County Adviser Grug Evans, who organised the event said: “This meeting was an important opportunity to see first-hand the importance of council-owned farms, to local people and rural communities.
Wider benefits
“Council-owned farms not only provide a valuable route for first generation farmers and young entrants but also benefit the wider community. Phill and Heledd are a perfect example of this as their meat boxes mean they can sell local produce to local people, they’re actively involved in local groups and organisations, and their children attend the local Welsh language primary school, which all helps to contribute to a thriving community.
“Following the well-attended community meeting in Sarn a few weeks ago, and NFU Cymru’s meeting with Powys County Council Leader Cllr Jake Berriman, this on-farm event highlighted the competitive process of gaining a tenancy agreement, the contract itself and how the tenancies work in practice. We stressed the importance of good two-way communication between the tenant farmer and the Council to help with long-term planning and the mental health and wellbeing of the farmer.”
Rural crime
PC Jonathan Thomas also attended the event to discuss rural crime and what the police can do to help farmers protect their machinery from theft. PC Thomas introduced attendees to SelectaDNA marking for machinery to help deter thieves but also as an effective method of recovering stolen property.
Dyfed Powys Police also offer a rural crime assessment for farmers, where an officer comes out on farm to help farmers identify vulnerabilities and implement measures to deter crime.
Representatives from FWAG and Farming Connect also attended the meeting.