HCC’s second intake of Meat Minds members met for their first group technical session which focused on HCC research and development (R&D) and the farmed environment.
They gathered in Whitland for an insightful presentation by May Wheeler from the Sustainable Food Trust on the ‘Global Farm Metric’ - a key part of HCC’s R&D programme and an important element of the LUNZ Grassland Project which was highlighted during the day. Sustainability and working towards net zero are key considerations for the red meat sector in this area of work, which led the group to discuss what sustainability meant to them in their roles.
HCC’s Dr Heather McCalman facilitated the discussion. She said: “It was great to bring the members together to consider and deliberate the topic of sustainability in their varying jobs within the supply chain. It provided the group with insight into their roles and prompted them to share some of their biggest challenges. As part of the discussion, they were also given an opportunity to feed their ideas on sustainability into the LUNZ Grassland Project.
“The group was interested to hear about HCC’s wide portfolio of projects which covers a range of topics, from improving genetics and grassland for increased productivity and environmental gain, to lamb eating quality and reducing nutrient losses from farm to fork. I enjoyed presenting this information to the group who are enthusiastic about the future development of the industry.”
The members were introduced to Aled Evans, Rest Farm who works in partnership with his brother, Iwan, on 500 acres of land in Carmarthenshire. The brothers were recognised for their pioneering approach to farming with the ‘Beef Farmer of the Year’ title in the Farmer’s Weekly awards back in 2021 and have featured in HCC’s Welsh Beef marketing campaigns. They are also involved in the LUNZ Grassland Project.
The group were impressed by Aled’s approach to his beef cattle business, how he has developed mob grazing and maximises production from grazed clover rich grassland to minimise costs whilst caring for the wider environment through a stringent regenerative farming audit.
Meat Minds member Emma Williams said: “I enjoyed all elements of the first Meat Minds session and the opportunity to meet all the group members again. The morning was full of interesting information, especially by May Wheeler about the Global Farm Metric. The farm walk with Aled was great, I enjoyed the discussion and the chance to ask questions.
“It was great to be able to learn more about calf rearing and how to have a balance, something that Aled does very well.”
Meat Minds is a 12-month programme designed to develop, support and connect individuals involved in the Welsh red meat supply chain.
The LUNZ Grassland Project is a key HCC R&D project that, with multiple collaborative partners, is researching sustainable practices for shaping the future of UK land use. Rest Farm is one of ten farms that form the participatory cluster for Wales, and one of four UK clusters that explore mitigation measures on farms and collect data needed to complete the Global Metric and the Agrecalc carbon calculators.
