PRINCE BOOSTS HILL FARMING HOPES AND OFFERS TO HELP DAIRY FARMERS

The Prince of Wales has thrown his support behind a young farmer's determined bid to carry on the tradition of keeping Welsh mountain sheep on the Cambrian Mountain in Mid Wales.

Twenty-two-year-old Farmers' Union of Wales member Emyr Davies is the fourth generation of his family to farm 1,200 acres of hill land between 1,000 and 1,700ft surrounding the remote Carnau farmstead near Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion.

"I feel it is my duty to remain here and carry on the good work started by my grandfather and then my father," he told the Prince during a two-hour visit to the farm.

"My late grandfather was a sheep man through and through and my father also shares his passion for the Tregaron Welsh Mountain Sheep, a local breed of sheep native to these surrounding hills.

"They have been bred here for many generations and have become accustomed to their environment. Being a hardy breed they are capable of producing good lambs under harsh conditions."

The Prince, president of the Cambrian Mountains Initiative (CMI), was visiting the farm to discuss rural issues, food production and prospects for future generations.

He told the 160-strong gathering of neighbouring farmers and industry representatives said the initiative was designed to ensure there is a real and viable future for people like Emyr.

"There are a lot of people like Emyr, thank God, but there are so many complications in the market place and the general attitude to this form of farming. I try to remind people of the huge importance of the uplands, what some people call the Less Favoured Areas.

"The difficulty is to explain to people how much work and effort of management goes into this type of farming. The fact that these hills are grazed is part of the exercise but so many people who don't live in the countryside don't understand this.

"The stories of people like the Davies family and the contribution they make in the locality to these communities is something that is so precious, particularly to Wales.

"One of the things I became aware of when I became the Prince of Wales 40 years ago was that the population on the land in Wales was far higher than anywhere else in Britain and I suspect that this is the case today. With this initiative we are trying to ensure there is a future for these people on the land.

"At the end of the day I hope we can make a difference to ensure that there is a future for people in the uplands of the countryside and that we can ensure Emyr's sons and daughters will be able to work together to ensure the survival of this environment."

Emyr said the slopes and rocky terrain of the farm, which runs 1,200 Welsh Mountain ewes and 250-300 ewe lambs, means diversifying into growing crops, fruit and vegetables is not an option.

His father Huw (48) said it was very useful to be a CMI member. "We get a little bit extra for our lambs - after all, every little bit helps.

"I like to farm these hills but they have gone over too much to the mercy of the environmentalists. It's the sheep that keep the hills as they are if left to nature they will be overrun in no time.

"During the Foot and Mouth outbreaks places like the Brecon Beacons were beginning to become overgrown within a short space of time because the stock had gone from the hills."

Last year the prince painted a special watercolour of Cwm Berwyn to be used in the distinctive Cambrian Mountains brand. The original royal watercolour has been incorporated in the bilingual branding.

Farmers and food producers who sign up to the principles of the CMI will have the opportunity to use the brand identity. Other ideas include developing distinctive farm tourism and associated rural activities.

Earlier, the prince met FUW officials and other Welsh farming representatives for 90 minutes at his Carmarthenshire home, Llwynywermod, Myddfai, near Llandovery, to discuss the crisis in the dairy sector following the collapse of the producers' co-operative Dairy Farmers of Britain (DFB).

FUW's milk and dairy produce committee chairman Eifion Huws, a DFB member who has lost several thousands of pounds from investing in the company and non-payment of milk he supplied, said: "The prince revealed that he cares passionately about maintaining traditional Welsh dairy family farms which are the backbone of the industry in Wales.

"We welcome his obvious concern for the plight of the Welsh dairy farming sector and his genuine offer to do everything he could to help us overcome our concerns for the future.

"He told us he has asked his rural action group to work with farmers, suppliers, retailers and other key partners to see if there are solutions to our concerns."

The meeting was also heard the prince had made an undisclosed cash donation to the ARC-Addington Fund, which helps maintain the economic and social fabric of the farming community, and Farm Crisis Network, which provides pastoral and practical support to people during periods of anxiety, stress and problems relating to the farm household and business.