The future is looking bright for Welsh hill sheep businesses
Hybu Cig Cymru - Meat Promotion Wales’s Hill Ram Scheme, supported by Welsh Government and EU funding, is proving crucial to upland and hill farmers as DNA technology looking at lamb parentage, Estimated Breeding Values (EBV) and fat and muscle depth are all being used to help farmers select quality rams to put to their flocks.
Experienced farmer, Bedwyr Jones of Nant Gwynant is a Hill Ram scheme leader flock and is part of the push to record data of key livestock traits to help Welsh farmers produce the quality meat consumers are looking for. At the same time the scheme is ensuring an efficient flock of hardy native breeds best suited to the environment of Wales’ upland hillsides.
28 year old, Ryan Williams who share farms in Ffestiniog, Gwynedd says that the scheme has ensured that his finished lambs are ready two kilos heavier since buying Hill Ram recorded rams from Bedwyr Jones.
"I am delighted with the way these rams have been performing," explains Ryan who farms at Ty Isaf, Ffestiniog in a share farming system with Bini and Dr Huw Jones. As part of the farm business, they sell Bini Organic meat boxes supplying customers locally and further afield.
"We’ve made no changes to our system here," said Ryan who says that he has learnt a lot during the process and is grateful to Bedwyr and his family for opening the door to showcase his farm and his stock.
"You can see where these Welsh mountains lambs are produced at Gwastadanas, Bedwyr works with nature on these upland hills and mountains and produces quality lambs. For me, that’s crucial to our business too as we graze up on the Mignaint moorland."
Bedwyr established himself at the Nant Gwynant farm, 25 years ago and says that technology and DNA testing is supporting traditional farming methods to produce better quality lambs for the market.
Bedwyr and his family are improving the genetic merit of their flock, producing lambs from grass to meet market requirements and breeding rams with known quality performance.
"This year’s annual ram sale at Gwastadanas was one of the best yet," explains Bedwyr, who together with wife, Helen, son Aron and their three other children farm 4000 acres at their Nant Gwynant beef and sheep farm, with land reaching up to the summit of Yr Wyddfa.
"What we’ve found over the three years we’ve been part of the Hill Ram scheme is that you see small improvements each year. The lambs’ potential improves year on year in weight gain and quality. We select the best breeding rams, manage the flock better because of the data that we glean and use the technology to our advantage."
"This is an extra string to our bow. Of course, we still look at the wool, the teeth, the feet and fertility, but the DNA lineage, the weight gain, the back fat measuring works hand in hand with our traditional farming methods.
"Since starting the work with HCC’s Hill Ram Scheme and performance recording the stock, our rams, on average have been selling between £180 and £200 a head better. To a farm business, that is when you clearly see the proof of the pudding is in the eating," Bedwyr Jones concluded.
HCC’s Hill Ram Scheme is one of three 5-year projects in the Red Meat Development Programme which is funded by the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.
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