Eight forward-thinking beef and sheep farms from across Wales have been selected to embark upon an ambitious journey to measure the environmental impact of their businesses as part of a groundbreaking national project.
They represent the Welsh red meat industry in the Environment Baselining Pilot - a collaborative initiative between the UK’s red meat levy boards, led by AHDB with support from Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) and Quality Meat Scotland (QMS).
The aim of this work is to showcase agriculture’s vital role in not only producing food, but in protecting the environment - from reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building carbon stocks to enhancing soil health and supporting biodiversity.
The participating Welsh farms were chosen based on factors relating to geographical location, topography, soil type and enterprise systems, and joined a larger group of 170 farms across England and Scotland, alongside dairy and arable farmers in Wales.
They are:
- Alwyn Phillips, Caernarfon
- Andrew Edwards, Nelson
- Catrin George, Brechfa
- Haulwen Jones, Blaenau Ffestiniog
- Huw & Daniel Owen, Pen-y-bont Fawr
- Keri & Julie Daves, Brecon
- Peter Morris, Pembroke
- Stephen & Lisa Harwick, Llandrindod Wells
Sampling and scanning activities have already been undertaken on the farms to measure greenhouse gas emissions, landscape and soil carbon stocks. This includes carbon soil sampling at 1m depth and LiDAR scanning, as well as carbon auditing with bespoke action plans created for each farm.
HCC’s Dr Eleri Thomas, Industry Efficiency and Sustainability Executive said: “We are pleased to support this exciting pilot and support red meat producers as they take bold steps to baseline and better understand the environmental impact of their businesses.
“The work is intended to provide the industry with a national dataset, showing the range and variety of results from individual farms and enabling a move away from national and international averages. The data will help to demonstrate the real environmental benefits of the agricultural industry and provide a more accurate reflection of its position and progress towards Net Zero.”
HCC recently published a strategic action plan - Red Meat Industry Vision: Delivering Value for Wales - which outlines three key priority areas for the organisation. Priority 2 focuses on developing and leading on the implementation of initiatives that improve economic and environmental sustainability.
Dr Thomas added: “To ensure a prosperous and sustainable future for the Welsh red meat industry, it is imperative to balance economic performance and environmental stewardship. HCC has committed to measuring current environmental and economic performance and drive improvements through industry collaboration. This pilot is a key element of that promise, and we look forward to working with the eight Welsh farmers and enabling them to take insight-led action towards a more sustainable future.”
For more information about the project and the participating farmers, click here: Environment Baselining Project - Hybu Cig Cymru
