Mon, 14 Mar 2016 Ffermio

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-Hello and a very warm welcome

-to Ffermio.

-We're at the Anglesey Show Pavilion

-to mark an important milestone...

-..for Emyr Evans'

-agricultural machinery company.

-But we start

-with a Ffermio exclusive.

-Meinir interviewed British

-Prime Minister David Cameron...

-..during an FUW-organized visit

-to a farm in the Dee Valley.

-I'm on Tyfos Farm

-in Llandrillo, Denbighshire...

-..as local farmers get a chance

-to discuss the topic of the day...

-..whether to stay or leave Europe...

-..with the Prime Minister, no less.

-Prime Minister,

-why should we remain in Europe?

-I think we're going to be better off

-in a reformed Europe...

-..stronger in a reformed Europe

-and safer in a reformed Europe.

-For farming, I think the arguments

-are absolutely nailed on.

-We have unrestricted, quota-free,

-tariff-free, tax-free access...

-..to a market of 500 million

-consumers across Europe.

-90% of the Welsh beef and lamb

-that is exported...

-..goes to the other

-European countries.

-Why give that up?

-Why put that at risk when the people

-who want us to leave...

-..can't tell us what sort of access

-we'd have to that market?

-We know what we've got now.

-Let's keep going with making sure

-the regulations are simpler...

-..farm payments are made faster...

-..and we invest in this brilliant

-industry where we produce...

-..some of the cleanest and best meat

-and food anywhere in the world.

-If the British public decide

-they want to come out of Europe...

-..is there a plan B for farmers?

-..is there a plan B for farmers?

-

-Absolutely.

-We'd have to put in place

-a farm support system...

-..because we wouldn't have

-an agricultural industry...

-..as strong as we do.

-We wouldn't have countryside

-as beautiful as we do...

-..if we didn't keep Britain farming.

-As Prime Minister, I'd always want

-to keep Britain farming.

-Those who want us to leave

-should be the ones spelling out...

-..what they think

-that system will be like.

-If you're going

-to leave this organization...

-..why should the other 27 members

-suddenly turn round...

-..and give you a great deal

-for access to their market?

-At the moment, we're a net importer

-of agri food products from Europe...

-..importing twice as much

-as what we were exporting to Europe.

-Wouldn't it be better

-for us to take the Brexit option?

-Not at all.

-Of course, we're selling a lot in,

-we buy a lot out.

-But at the end of the day...

-..if we leave, we don't know

-the access that we'd get.

-Because we're responsible...

-..just take one industry

-in agriculture, sheep...

-..we are responsible for 40%

-of Europe's sheep production.

-If we leave, can we be certain...

-..that others wouldn't want

-to grab that share off us?

-I don't think we can be,

-so I would say, stay in...

-..because we know what we get with

-a market of 500 million consumers.

-One man who has been pivotal

-in organizing this FUW event...

-..is Huw Jones,

-the Meirionnydd county officer.

-I think we've had a very good day.

-Staying in Europe is vital

-for the agricultural industry.

-It's crucial for our future.

-We're the only union

-to have stated that from the outset.

-A substantial fall is foreseen

-in basic payments over coming years.

-Wouldn't it be better

-if we did leave Europe?

-It's true that payments from Europe

-will drop a certain amount.

-But the truth is,

-we know fairly well...

-..where we stand for

-the next five years, if we stay in.

-If we did leave, we would be

-in a seriously uncertain situation.

-What it would mean for the future

-of farming and the rural economy...

-..scares us stiff.

-The rural economy would disintegrate

-were this to happen.

-How does Wales benefit

-if we do stay in Europe?

-This is the crux of the matter,

-of course.

-The argument is often put forward...

-..that the UK as a whole pays more

-into Europe than we get back.

-But importantly,

-in Wales, we do benefit.

-We get 850 million more in

-than we pay out.

-That's what's important,

-in the context of Wales.

-We must remember

-how much we benefit.

-Brothers Richard and David Williams

-farm here at Tyfos.

-Have they decided yet?

-For us on this farm...

-..mostly a sheep farm

-and in the uplands...

-..as you can see,

-it's pretty bleak here.

-The market for lamb in Europe

-is very important to us, isn't it?

-If we didn't have that market, I

-don't know where our lamb would go.

-Some of it would go in this country.

-But if we couldn't get rid of all

-the lamb, it would be a problem.

-Prices would drop, wouldn't they?

-Also, the subsidies

-we receive from Europe...

-..are crucial for us

-as farmers in the uplands.

-You haven't received yours yet.

-No, we haven't received

-our payments yet.

-Out of the farmers here today...

-..eight or nine of us

-at the kitchen table...

-..four of them

-hadn't been paid theirs either.

-That's nearly 50%.

-David Cameron said that it wasn't a

-problem from Westminster or Europe.

-It was the Welsh Assembly's fault

-that those payments hadn't come.

-We get a lot of money from Europe,

-directly and indirectly.

-For example, in the Pillar 1 money

-we get with the single payment.

-The average Welsh farmer...

-..pays 100,000

-back into his community every year.

-That's a substantial sum

-to keep people in rural Wales.

-After today, how much faith

-do you have in David Cameron?

-As a union, we aren't aligned

-with any political party.

-But I'm very pleased to be able

-to work with David Cameron on this.

-We're on the same side and working

-towards the same important goal.

-So much bureaucracy

-adds costs to the farming industry.

-If we came out of Europe,

-would there be less red tape?

-I don't think

-you can guarantee that.

-What we ought to do is,

-in Europe, reduce the red tape.

-What my negotiations secured...

-..is red tape reduction targets

-for all the key industry segments.

-Also, I think

-we can learn from each other.

-In England, we've cut

-farm inspections by 20,000.

-We should apply some of those ideas

-in Wales and other parts of the UK.

-Let's have fewer inspections, take

-the bureaucracy off our farmers...

-..set them free

-to go on producing...

-..some of the cleanest and best meat

-anywhere in the world.

-David Cameron, Prime Minister,

-thank you very much.

-Great pleasure.

-Over the coming weeks, we'll look

-at this subject in more detail.

-Twenty years ago...

-..Emyr Evans set up his

-farm machinery business on Anglesey.

-Until then, he sold directly

-from his farmyard in Pentrefoelas.

-As the story starts there,

-I went to the farm to hear it.

-Emyr Evans began selling machinery

-at Hafoty Hafod Dre, Pentrefoelas.

-The company now employs 33 people...

-..with Emyr's sons

-part of the management team.

-I started in 1986.

-I'd sell two or three every year,

-just out of interest.

-Tractors?

-Yes, painting old Majors

-and Massey 35s.

-In 1996, I was offered...

-..the Massey Ferguson agency

-for Anglesey.

-You make it sound easy.

-Going from selling a bit

-on the farmyard...

-..to a big site on Anglesey

-in a decade.

-It was a shock to the system.

-We had to buy a site in Gaerwen.

-Do you sell them far away?

-We've sold some second-hand tractors

-as far as Australia.

-Peru, Greece...

-..and most countries in Europe.

-Emyr is one of four brothers

-brought up on Hafod Dinbych Farm.

-That's just across the road

-from Hafoty.

-Three of the brothers

-work in the world of machinery.

-Gwyndaf stayed at home to farm.

-As Emyr spends a lot of time

-on Anglesey...

-..Gwyndaf now farms Hafoty too.

-Are you interested in machines?

-Not at all.

-All I do is break them

-and ask my brothers to fix them.

-Emyr still lives in Hafoty,

-but you farm there now.

-Yes, we farm Hafod Dinbych

-and Hafoty jointly.

-What do you keep here?

-What do you keep here?

-

-Welsh Mountain sheep.

-Mostly pure-bred, and we cross

-the old ewes with a Texel ram.

-We have a herd

-of mostly Welsh Black cattle.

-We have a Welsh Black bull

-and a Charolais bull.

-You remember Gwynedd and Berwyn as

-little boys fiddling with machines.

-They were interested

-at a very young age...

-..and drove tractors as well.

-They did a lot of work on the farm

-with the tractors.

-That benefits them in business now.

-Do you know anything

-about four wheels?

-No, not a lot.

-You stick to four legs.

-You stick to four legs.

-

-Yes, four legs.

-Emyr and his wife Gwenda

-have three children...

-..Gwynedd, Berwyn and Elliw.

-The sons work with Emyr...

-..Berwyn mainly in Denbigh

-and Gwynedd mostly in Gaerwen.

-I've always been a four-wheel man.

-Dad was a farmer when we were

-younger, farming Hafod Dinbych.

-Dad's brothers did a lot

-with car engines, repairing them.

-I spent most of my time with them...

-..trying to dodge all the animals

-and learning.

-What exactly do you do as a manager?

-The main job is selling.

-From day to day, I make sure

-that things get sorted.

-We have staff working for us,

-of course.

-There are plenty of things to do,

-but selling is the main job.

-Who's the boss, Gwynedd?

-Emyr?

-Yes, he's in charge.

-Emyr says how things should be.

-Yes, but to be completely fair...

-..Berwyn and I have had the freedom

-to do as we please, in a way.

-We all speak

-every morning and evening.

-But there's very little discussion

-during the day.

-We do chat

-in the morning and evening.

-When Dad started,

-the tractors were fairly simple.

-You only needed

-a bag of spanners to repair them.

-Today, most of the work starts with

-a laptop plugged into the tractor.

-The tractor

-tells you what's wrong with it.

-That means

-you need a lot of training.

-Very often,

-no two problems are alike.

-That has changed an awful lot.

-How difficult is it to get

-specialist staff in your field?

-Very difficult.

-You can send boys on as many

-training courses as you like...

-..but it's experience that solves

-a lot of the problems today.

-Selling agricultural machinery

-is the mainstay of the company.

-By doing that, they've developed

-over the last 20 years.

-What are the concerns

-about the future?

-I think we're in an uncertain time,

-but I'm sure it'll only be a phase.

-We're not sure

-how long it will last.

-The world is round,

-we'll come out the other end again.

-As a company,

-we need to take care...

-..and not take any large steps

-until everything settles.

-Where do you hope to be

-in the next 20 years?

-Still in Gaerwen,

-still in North Wales.

-We hope to expand

-the range we currently sell...

-..and pick up

-one or two other manufacturers.

-Still involved with agriculture.

-This year will be quite hard.

-Hopefully, these next years,

-we'll be back to the way we were.

-That's it for now.

-After the break,

-more of these big machines.

-I'll see you then.

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-Welcome back to Ffermio

-and to the Anglesey Show Pavilion.

-Emyr Evans' company offers

-a machinery service to farmers...

-..across the whole of North Wales.

-As they celebrate 20 years today...

-..it's an opportunity for them

-to showcase the latest technology.

-We have already met Emyr,

-Gwynedd and Berwyn...

-..but the woman who keeps them all

-in check is Gwenda...

-..Emyr's wife and the boys' mother.

-Gwenda, you've been with Emyr

-from the very start.

-In that time, you must have seen

-developments and many changes.

-Yes, 20 years is a long time.

-We started with Massey Fergusons

-20 years ago.

-Did you think 20 years ago...

-..that the business would have grown

-to what it is today?

-Not really.

-I didn't expect

-that we would have grown so much.

-Most of the thanks

-should go to Gwynedd and Berwyn.

-It's quite an emotional day.

-I'm very proud of them.

-It's interesting

-to see all these big machines.

-You need a large field

-to turn them!

-Have you seen some new things?

-Have you seen some new things?

-

-A lot of new things.

-Farming is becoming

-a one-man-band industry.

-That's what you think.

-The big machines do all the work.

-Is that a good thing?

-Is that a good thing?

-

-That's how it is.

-Are you spending money here today?

-Are you spending money here today?

-

-I'm trying not to.

-It's difficult not to.

-What have you bought?

-What have you bought?

-

-A spreader.

-This one here?

-This one here?

-

-Yes, a green one.

-He's spent a lot!

-He's spent a lot!

-

-Yes, I've just had a row with him.

-You have to spend to get quality.

-In the old days, he'd have a trailer

-and a pitchfork to do the spreading.

-Would you help him?

-Would you help him?

-

-Yes, of course.

-You're smiling going home.

-You're smiling going home.

-

-He'll get a row when we get home.

-No point arguing here.

-What feedback are you getting?

-Really good.

-It's been a steady trade

-since we opened up.

-A lot of people showing interest.

-Very positive.

-If things continue like this

-for the next 20 years...

-..you'll still be smiling.

-..you'll still be smiling.

-

-I hope so.

-While I'm here

-among all the machinery...

-..Alun is visiting an organic farm

-in Talybont, Aberystwyth.

-Since 2008, the organic sector

-has faced an uncertain future...

-..as the recession affected sales.

-In the last year, there's been

-an improvement in the market.

-There's been an increase of 5%.

-What's responsible

-for that development?

-Simon and Rhodri Lloyd-Williams have

-been farming organically since 1999.

-They are from Foelgolomen,

-Talybont.

-They farm 300 hectares of land...

-..and keep over 800 Welsh mountain

-sheep and 25 Welsh Black Cattle.

-Give us an idea of the kind of land

-on your farm. It's quite high.

-Yes, down at the bottom

-by the house...

-..we're around 600 feet

-above sea level.

-The top of the farm

-is about 1,500 feet.

-It's rough terrain.

-You can see that sat up here.

-All of these stones you see, either

-Dad or I picked up from the fields.

-The soil is thin.

-When you plough a furrow...

-..picking the rocks up afterwards

-is hard work.

-In the organic system, it's

-important to plant seeds frequently.

-The cattle become more important

-in terms of fertilizer production.

-Oh, absolutely.

-Dad usually keeps the cattle out

-through the winter.

-Since going organic,

-we've built the sheds you've seen.

-It's important

-to have muck to spread.

-We'll have it out on the fields

-after lambing.

-The sheep come out

-and then we spread the fertilizer.

-We try to grow grass

-before the summer.

-We also try to wait for a dry day

-to cut it too.

-I understand you've started

-marketing Moelgolomen's produce.

-Yes, it started slowly.

-We'd always

-slaughtered our own lamb at home.

-We sold a little

-to family and friends.

-After a while, people came to me

-asking if the lambs were available.

-We're in the middle

-of setting it all up now.

-We have a website -

-welshmountainlamb.com

-People can buy online and we can

-deliver across Britain now.

-Simon, tell us to start off with...

-..1999 came and you decided

-to convert your farm to organic.

-What was the driver towards that?

-Well, we've been that way inclined,

-if you like, for years.

-We joined the first DSA schemes.

-And through them

-into Tir Gofal...

-..and organic

-seemed to be a natural progression.

-As I understand...

-..statistically, organics

-are on the up at the moment.

-That must be good news.

-That must be good news.

-

-It is good news.

-I just wish that our lambs could

-be sold into the British market.

-British supermarkets demand a

-15 kilo lamb, as every farmer knows.

-As hill lambs,

-our lambs tend to be a bit smaller.

-Generally, they're sold

-non-organically and abroad.

-We sell our ewes organically and

-our cattle organically as stores...

-..but we can't sell

-our fat lambs organically.

-Throughout the United Kingdom...

-..almost 2 billion

-is spent on organic produce.

-That is only as much as 1.4%

-of the food and drink market.

-What does the future hold

-for this sector?

-Dafydd Owen

-works for Organic Centre Wales.

-He's very happy

-to see the revival in the market.

-Since 2008, the organic market

-has dropped severely.

-It's coming back now.

-Over the last two years,

-it's been stable and growing slowly.

-Look at the ethical food market,

-which includes foods...

-..that are part of schemes

-like Fair Trade, or local food.

-That market has grown consistently

-over the last decade.

-What we're seeing now...

-..is that organic

-regaining its place in the market.

-How are the different sectors doing

-now in terms of the organic market?

-The sector that stands out

-is the dairy sector.

-The link between the customer

-and producer...

-..has helped maintain the price.

-Prices have been fairly stable

-in the red meat sector.

-During the horse meat scandal,

-it was at its highest.

-The sector that needs most work

-is the lamb sector.

-There was a premium but I think

-there's potential for more.

-You say there isn't enough

-of a connection...

-..between producers and consumers.

-If you can connect with the customer

-they'll come back to your produce.

-Look at French wine.

-Wine producers say...

-..they're from a particular estate

-in a particular area.

-They name it

-for where it is produced.

-Why aren't we doing

-the same thing with our lamb?

-Talybont lamb

-tastes different to Llanddewi lamb.

-Certainly, and Rhydymain too!

-In 2015, 500 Welsh farms...

-..chose to continue

-to farm organically...

-..by signing up

-to the Glastir Organic scheme.

-Sixty farms

-joined for the first time.

-Let's look at the sector's

-immediate future.

-It's on the up. Is this the way

-you see things going?

-We have to look at our market.

-The more money we make

-out of the market the better.

-No-one wants to be dependent

-on subsidies.

-I'd like to be able

-to stick two fingers up to it all.

-It's not like that.

-I want to see

-the economy strengthening.

-We do care

-for the environment and our animals.

-We farm in a way

-that cooperates with nature.

-The value of that will come through.

-I ask everyone

-about the future, Rhodri.

-Your father, Simon, has given

-you carte blanche on the farm.

-Do you have big plans?

-There are plenty of ideas

-flying around.

-Nothing major. Just a few tweaks.

-Dad has recorded performance...

-..but I do faecal egg count checks

-before I do any dosing.

-We've also done a hydro scheme

-just before the FITs go down.

-That might bring in

-more of a profit.

-There's no need

-to come in and change everything.

-It works.

-It works.

-

-Yes, exactly. Why change it?

-That's it from the middle

-of the machinery in Anglesey.

-Thanks for your company.

-We hope you have a good week.

-Until next time, goodbye.

-S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.

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