When Rhiannon Davies won a young farmers’ pig rearing competition, little did she think that years later, she’d oversee the project that introduced her to the world of pig keeping.
As Menter Moch Cymru’s new Project Manager, Rhiannon is responsible for supervising the initiative, which was established to develop and support the pig sector in Wales. She brings with her personal experience of the positive effect of Menter Moch Cymru’s support on the sector in Wales.
Brought up on her family’s beef and sheep farm at Talgarreg near Llandysul, Rhiannon’s first real contact with pigs came when – as a member of Caerwedros YFC - she won a pig finishing competition run by Menter Moch Cymru and Wales YFC to encourage new entrants to the pig sector.
As part of the competition, she was given five weaners and a raft of training and mentoring on topics ranging from pig management to marketing the meat.
Winning the competition and the high level of support she received from Menter Moch Cymru gave Rhiannon the confidence and skills to launch a direct meat sales business with her family.
Rhiannon said, “I always wanted to keep pigs, but I’d never had any experience working with them before I entered the competition, so to have the opportunity to have a go with the benefit of a network of support was extremely valuable.
“Thanks to Menter Moch Cymru, there was always someone to answer my questions. The training I received covered topics from welfare, business, and regulatory issues to skills such as marketing and even product photography – I couldn’t have asked for more.”
Before taking up her new post, Rhiannon worked with fellow Menter a Busnes- managed project, Farming Connect, and so brings a wealth of skills and personal understanding to her new role.
Rhiannon said, “I’ve experienced the invaluable support Menter Moch Cymru gives to pig producers, and so I’m looking forward to working with the team to support and develop the pig industry in Wales and to get to know pig producers from across the country.”
The Menter Moch Cymru project 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.