Note of Committee Visit to Carmarthenshire – 30 June 2022

Members attending were Paul Davies MS (Chair); Luke Fletcher MS; Vikki Howells MS; Sam Kurtz MS; Sarah Murphy MS.

Members met the college principal and staff and took an extremely informative tour, in particular learning more about the Tywydd Tywi Weather app and weather station project, farm nutrient and slurry treatment, and waste water treatment projects.

In its report Review of the Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) Regulations 2021 the Committee recommended Welsh Government prioritise consideration of alternative measures to the open and closed periods for slurry spreading, or ‘farming by calendar’, as set out in the regulations. The Tywydd Tywi project is an alternative measure that has been submitted for consideration by Welsh Government. The Welsh Government is also due to respond to the Committee’s report recommendations in full by 14 September, with a plenary debate scheduled on 21 September.

Members learnt that the ‘traffic light’ system in the app had already been effective in showing red/’stop’ times, for farmers to avoid slurry spreading due to adverse weather conditions in what was technically the open period, as well as indicating green/’go’ times suitable for spreading during the closed period. Members noted NRW have commissioned weather stations on 4 river catchments in South East Wales. They considered the approximate costs to introduce and maintain this relatively low-tech solution, which utilises solar power with battery back-up, and the benefits for managing fertiliser input costs.

Member toured the slurry treatment area and noted the high nutrient and potentially very high export value of the treated slurry, and the carbon capture benefits of this precision agriculture project.

The wastewater/reed bed project was also viewed, where aeration pumps with a cost of approximately £1.50 per day are used to filter waste water to highly improved quality, for use in farm cleaning to save on bore-water use, and with the ultimate goal of producing quality suitable for cattle drinking water. This project is supported by Welsh Government funding until the end of November.

Members noted the concerns raised during the visit about future funding arrangements for Gelli Aur, and the opportunities for further development of the sustainable farming practice projects – both matters for Welsh Government. Members were told about the potential benefits of future development work that could be undertaken around reducing ammonia emissions and improving air quality, and biomass options for digested slurry. It was noted that capital investment in treatment ‘hubs’ could benefit smaller farms as well as larger dairy operations.

The college’s important role in promoting Welsh language skills was also noted by the Committee.

Caption: Committee Members are briefed by Neil Nicholas and colleagues at the Gelli Aur campus, Coleg Sir Gâr, on the Tywydd Tywi Weather project.

Members were hosted by Simon Wright, restaurateur, broadcaster and champion of sustainable and local food production. They met food producers and sampled a range of excellent Welsh food products over a working lunch. Members appreciated the opportunity to hear from Carwyn Graves, author of a new book on the history of Welsh food Welsh Food Stories; Paul Oeppen from Amroth, farming award-winning organic lamb and beef from native breeds; and Nathan Richards, a sustainable horticulturalist farming at Troed Y Rhiw organic farm in Ceredigion. Discussion included the economic future for the Welsh food industry and those employed in it, the direction of food policy in Wales and the needs of producers, myths and realities about Welsh food and farming, and the public health benefits of good nutrition.

Caption: Members discuss the future of Welsh food and farming at Wright’s Food Emporium: Left to right: Paul Davies MS, Sam Kurtz MS, Sarah Murphy MS, Simon Wright; Luke Fletcher MS; Nathan Richards; Paul Oeppen, Vicki Howells MS.

Members met farm owner Hywel Morgan and were also accompanied by Rhys Evans, a farmer from North Wales who is Sustainable Farming Lead for the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN) in Wales. Hywel Morgan gave Members a tour of his sheep and beef farm, where he has moved away from some conventional farming practices and adopted a NFFN approach. He explained his approach to hedgerow management (including wider, taller hedges); soil and grassland management and animal health; biodiversity audit; water management and the creation of a pond/wetland areas; and baling rush for animal bedding. The farm has also recently introduced a trial of no-fence tracking collars for cattle grazing freely on the upland.

Hywel Morgan said it could take 3-5 years to transition from rye grass pasture and the increasingly high fertiliser input this required. But he said moving to mixed pasture containing natural herbs and clovers not only improved the viability of the soil (varied root length), but removed high costs for fertiliser and had resulted in lower veterinary bills due to better animal health. He reported cattle calved more naturally and easily without needing as much farmer and vet intervention. He also reported greater biodiversity including birdlife such as curlews. Hywel Morgan said he had faced a lot of scepticism from those around him for moving to NFFN farming practices, but had no regrets. He said it was a ‘no-brainer’ when considering what Welsh land is for and who should benefit from it. He valued the advice and support he got on a weekly basis from NFFN. Hywel Morgan has also been involved in Farming Connect’s management exchange programme.

Hywel Morgan called on Welsh Government to push for growing a sustainable market for Welsh wool. The lack of availability of wool treatment facilities close to the UK make the market unprofitable, and demand for wool, for example for carpets for cruise ships, was affected by Covid. But he pointed to the potential for growing the market for Welsh wool – a sustainable natural product with a strong Welsh heritage and many modern uses.

Caption: Members visiting Esgairllaethdy farm: Left to right: Sarah Murphy MS, Vikki Howells MS, Luke Fletcher MS, Paul Davies MS (Committee Chair), Rhys Evans, Hywel Morgan and Roxy, Sam Kurtz MS.

There was support for the role of Farming Connect in providing farming advice, but common concerns were raised during the day about the culture and operation of Rural Payments Wales online system of applying for financial support. Not having people to discuss issues with was a problem for farmers trying to access funds. Farmers are completely put off accessing some grant funding - in particular the Farm Business Grant. This is because of the time taken to process payments, uncertainty about eligibility and no human advice available before submitting applications, and the very real risk of losing capital investment. Farmers reported losing many thousands of pounds due to problems with the system as it currently operates.

The definition of an “active farmer” and their access to future funding was also raised. The threshold for owners of Welsh agricultural land to be an ‘active farmer’ eligible for public funds can be easily reached by owners who live outside Wales and have little involvement in managing their land as a public good – this should be reviewed.

The Committee will take account of all the issues raised during its visits, including when scrutinising the draft Sustainable Farming Scheme and legislative proposals for future agricultural support.

The Committee is grateful to all those who facilitated this visit. Members plan to meet more rural affairs stakeholders at this year’s Royal Welsh Show, and to make further farm visits in the autumn term to inform their economy, trade and rural affairs brief.

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