During her meeting with this year’s Farming Connect Agri Academy candidates at a reception on the first day of the Winter Fair, Lesley Griffiths Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs announced that chartered surveyor Carwyn Rees (26) a dairy farmer originally from Llandovery, now based in Pembrokeshire, was the winner of the highly contested Agri Academy Business & Innovation Programme challenge.
This year’s challenge for the group of 11 individuals was to draw up a five year business management plan for the Hughes family at their 25 hectare beef and sheep farm on Anglesey to ensure the farm provides a viable and sustainable future for daughter Branwen.
Following the group’s visit to the farm in September 2016, Carwyn’s winning blueprint for developing a new stream of income at the farmstead in Beaumaris, which is designated as an ‘Area of Outstanding Beauty’, was to consider the feasibility of converting under-utilised sheep buildings into a 20 unit ‘bunkhouse’ accommodation unit. The idea was very well received by the family.
Shortly after receiving his award from the Cabinet Secretary, Carwyn said.
“Anglesey has an incredible 125 mile coastal path and most of it is designated as an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’. There are 27 excellent sandy beaches and rocky coves including six Blue Flag Beaches and a Blue Flag Marina and all these are within easy travelling distance of Beaumaris.
“Because of the Hughes family’s location, I believe that a development of this type would offer affordable and appealing accommodation to a wide range of visitors including surfers, walkers, cyclists and many others who may prefer to stay in the heart of the countryside rather than in the more populated tourist destinations.
“Branwen is an able surfer and watersports enthusiast herself, so let’s hope that if this idea comes to fruition in the years to come, she may be able to capitalise on creating even more opportunities for business development in the future.
“The Agri-Academy gave our group a fantastic platform to learn more about the industry and I learned so much from our study tour to Copenhagen when the theme was comparing innovations within the food and drink industry in Wales and Denmark. The Danes demonstrated that you need the confidence to embrace innovation, to be prepared to trial new ways of working, while always being market-led and providing the provenance and top quality that your customers expect or need.”
“I think this philosophy is one which all farmers in Wales need to take on board, and I very much hope that the Hughes family will find that it’s an approach which pays dividends in the future.”
“My time within the Agri-Academy has not only given me a greater understanding of the challenges facing the food and farming industries particularly at this post-Brexit time, but armed with our new skills, experiences and contacts, I am sure that all the Agri Academy alumni will continue to influence the rural agenda for the good of the industry in Wales.”