| Sheep & Lambing
Carmarthen farmer highlights role sheep play in
maintaining the countryside
Carmarthen sheep farmer and Farmers’ Union of Wales Vice President Ian Rickman, whose hill farm Gurnos, near
Bethlehem, Llandeilo, lies at over 1000 feet in places, has highlighted the important role sheep play in maintaining the
countryside.
50 Llandovery white faced
ewes, which are due to lamb
during the next two months,
call these lands their home. Ian
fears that the consequences of
not grazing the mountains
would have a devastating impact on the
environment and tourism.
The farm extends to 220 acres with Common
Grazing Rights on the Black Mountain, and he
is a member of the Management Committee of
the Black Mountain West Graziers Association.
To showcase just how much
#FarmingMatters and to discuss wider issues
of concern, he held an open day in February,
welcoming Jonathan Edwards MP, Adam Price
AM, Dafydd Llewelyn Dyfed Powys Police and
Crime Commissioner, Councillor Gareth
Thomas, various business representatives and
many local farmers.
Ian explained the importance of grazing the
mountains: “I move the ewe lambs annually to
the mountains and common land with their
5
www.farmingmonthly.co.uk
mothers where they are taught where to graze.
It has been an important part of grazing the
mountains for many generations.
“If lamb prices dropped drastically, we lost
our market or farm support was to diminish, it
could mean less or no sheep on the mountains.
That in turn could have a detrimental effect on
the landscape of the mountains in years to
come and therefore also on tourism, the
communities that are intrinsic to our rural
economy, and our way of life here in the
uplands would change - and possibly not for
the better.”
The FUW further used the opportunity to
discuss wider #FarmingMatters such as the
lack of broadband, telephone signal, worries
about lamb prices, rural crime, and bank
closures, as well as the urgent need to secure
fair farm funding for Wales.
Nerys Edwards, the FUW’s assistant CEO in
Carmarthen highlighted the need for urgent
funding security. She said: “We know that the
UK Government has said that it will match the
current EU budget that supports farming and
our rural economies, but how that money gets
to Wales and how it is managed has not been
determined. That of course is a real problem for
our farmers like Ian, because they can’t plan for
the future.
“It is encouraging to hear First Minister
Carwyn Jones backing the industry and we
recently heard him say that “agricultural
funding will have to be held in a separate pot
and dealt with in a different way”.
“However, there is a risk that it could go
through the Barnett Formula, which will reduce
the £260 m to circa £150 million and spell
disaster for our rural economy.
“The FUW is now actively lobbying for the
money to be assigned from the UK
Government to Wales, for agriculture and we
really appreciated being able to raise this with
our local elected politicians here on farm.”
March 2018 | Farming Monthly | 23