Latest news with #Lilwen
Pembrokeshire Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Plea to lift agricultural occupancy condition rejected
A NEW co-operative formed between West Wales pig farmers and a meat supplier is allowing pork from herds born and reared within the region to be transported for processing just a short distance in a low-throughput abattoir – reducing stress on the animals, providing low food miles meat for consumers and improving producer margins. The eight Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire-based farmers were brought together by the Farming Connect Agrisgôp initiative after the idea was discussed by Fishguard meat supplier and butcher Martyn Lloyd and Agrisgôp leader Lilwen Joynson. Martyn had been a member of another Agrisgôp group where Lilwen had helped him to develop his idea for a new processing facility and later, at a Farming Connect mentoring meeting, the idea for the Red Dragon Porc Cyf co-operative was established. Martyn and his wife, Danielle, had been unable to source low food miles pork for their customers. 'We could get beef and lamb and we have our own poultry but what we were missing was pork, we did our best to find Welsh pork for customers but that pork came with a lot of food miles and that doesn't fit with our business ethos,'' Martyn explains. Developing an abattoir on their farm at Cilshafe presented a solution. 'We wanted to get some pork producers on board, to help them advance their businesses,'' says Martyn. 'There are a lot of small pig producers in west Wales and many were struggling to work out how best to get their meat to the market but with an existing customer base we could help. We looked to Agrisgôp to help to bring that to life.'' After the first Agrisgôp meeting, facilitated by Lilwen, the idea took shape. Agrisgôp is a fully-funded management development programme that encourages eligible farmers to get together to not only develop their businesses, but to personally gain confidence and skills through action learning. And this is what happened for the Red Dragon Porc Cyf members. Farmers had been receiving inconsistent prices for their pigs when they marketed as individual businesses and their ability to supply a butcher directly was constrained as meeting supply volume requirements was tricky. 'The farmers shared a mission and were guided on putting their ideas into action,'' Lilwen explains. Building trust and confidence was crucial to the process of forming a cooperative. 'Collaboration and open sharing are definitely key,'' says Lilwen. 'Differences of opinion and thinking had to be overcome and a set of rules and values adopted with individuals accepting that it had to work for the majority since they were no longer operating as individual businesses.'' For some it even meant changing breeding patterns and breed type to accommodate market demands. At the end of 2024, Red Dragon Porc Cyf had already marketed £43,000 worth of pork, including sausages which captured awards at last year's Royal Welsh Winter Fair. In April, the missing part of the local pork jigsaw slotted into position when the Lloyds started processing pork at their own Food Standards Agency-approved abattoir. Until then, co-operative members including Will Kerr had to transport their pigs further to be processed. 'We didn't have any control over prices, the margins were very small,'' Will admits. 'Martyn opening the abattoir in Fishguard has been the catalyst we needed.'' Will has six Welsh pig breeding sows, which he runs alongside suckler beef and sheep enterprises at his family's farm, Blaenawen, at Glanrhyd. He had long been frustrated at the perception of pork being, in his words 'the cheap cousin'' of beef and lamb. While it has become commonplace for butchers to display the full history of the beef and lamb they are selling, Will points out that this is rarely applied to pork because it is largely sourced wholesale or has been imported. 'We too are now in a position to tell the exciting story of our pork,'' says Will, who farms with his parents, Mark and Kip. He sees a major advantage in being part of a co-operative. 'As a group we are more powerful, it gives us many advantages, we are already getting a better price for our pigs. 'Without Agrisgôp we would never have come together so we are grateful to Martyn for initiating it with Farming Connect and to Lilwen for pulling us all together.'' Another member of the group, Ed Walker, also sees big value in collective marketing, that 'strength in numbers''. 'As eight producers we are on a par with commercial farmers as we can offer consistency of supply but we are still individual small producers too.'' The businessman-turned-farmer produces around 600 pigs a year on an outdoor system at 46-acre Model Farm near Tenby. His 22 breeding sows are a mixture of Large Whites crossed with a Welsh boar and Oxford Sandy and Blacks which he crosses to a Large White. Keeping pigs started as hobby, alongside running his own civil engineering business, but it is now more or less a full-time job, with a part-time helper too. Almost all his sales are through Red Dragon Porc Cyf although he is also licenced to sell meat from the farm as Tenby Woodland Pork. Before the abattoir was established at Cilshafe, he would need to make a 150-mile round trip to the facility at Maesteg. The next stage for the co-operative could be to establish a meat box scheme. The throughput of pigs through the Lloyds' abattoir, which also processes other livestock, will be small initially but that is projected to increase as sales gain momentum. The facility has so far has created four full-time jobs and more could follow. Picture caption: Collaborating on pork marketing: Pictured from the left are Tom Young, Nic Caine, Martyn Lloyd, Ed Walker, Will Kerr and Lilwen Joynson
Pembrokeshire Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Pembrokeshire Herald
New Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire farms join innovation network
A NEW co-operative formed between West Wales pig farmers and a meat supplier is allowing pork from herds born and reared within the region to be transported for processing just a short distance in a low-throughput abattoir – reducing stress on the animals, providing low food miles meat for consumers and improving producer margins. The eight Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire-based farmers were brought together by the Farming Connect Agrisgôp initiative after the idea was discussed by Fishguard meat supplier and butcher Martyn Lloyd and Agrisgôp leader Lilwen Joynson. Martyn had been a member of another Agrisgôp group where Lilwen had helped him to develop his idea for a new processing facility and later, at a Farming Connect mentoring meeting, the idea for the Red Dragon Porc Cyf co-operative was established. Martyn and his wife, Danielle, had been unable to source low food miles pork for their customers. 'We could get beef and lamb and we have our own poultry but what we were missing was pork, we did our best to find Welsh pork for customers but that pork came with a lot of food miles and that doesn't fit with our business ethos,'' Martyn explains. Developing an abattoir on their farm at Cilshafe presented a solution. 'We wanted to get some pork producers on board, to help them advance their businesses,'' says Martyn. 'There are a lot of small pig producers in west Wales and many were struggling to work out how best to get their meat to the market but with an existing customer base we could help. We looked to Agrisgôp to help to bring that to life.'' After the first Agrisgôp meeting, facilitated by Lilwen, the idea took shape. Agrisgôp is a fully-funded management development programme that encourages eligible farmers to get together to not only develop their businesses, but to personally gain confidence and skills through action learning. And this is what happened for the Red Dragon Porc Cyf members. Farmers had been receiving inconsistent prices for their pigs when they marketed as individual businesses and their ability to supply a butcher directly was constrained as meeting supply volume requirements was tricky. 'The farmers shared a mission and were guided on putting their ideas into action,'' Lilwen explains. Building trust and confidence was crucial to the process of forming a cooperative. 'Collaboration and open sharing are definitely key,'' says Lilwen. 'Differences of opinion and thinking had to be overcome and a set of rules and values adopted with individuals accepting that it had to work for the majority since they were no longer operating as individual businesses.'' For some it even meant changing breeding patterns and breed type to accommodate market demands. At the end of 2024, Red Dragon Porc Cyf had already marketed £43,000 worth of pork, including sausages which captured awards at last year's Royal Welsh Winter Fair. In April, the missing part of the local pork jigsaw slotted into position when the Lloyds started processing pork at their own Food Standards Agency-approved abattoir. Until then, co-operative members including Will Kerr had to transport their pigs further to be processed. 'We didn't have any control over prices, the margins were very small,'' Will admits. 'Martyn opening the abattoir in Fishguard has been the catalyst we needed.'' Will has six Welsh pig breeding sows, which he runs alongside suckler beef and sheep enterprises at his family's farm, Blaenawen, at Glanrhyd. He had long been frustrated at the perception of pork being, in his words 'the cheap cousin'' of beef and lamb. While it has become commonplace for butchers to display the full history of the beef and lamb they are selling, Will points out that this is rarely applied to pork because it is largely sourced wholesale or has been imported. 'We too are now in a position to tell the exciting story of our pork,'' says Will, who farms with his parents, Mark and Kip. He sees a major advantage in being part of a co-operative. 'As a group we are more powerful, it gives us many advantages, we are already getting a better price for our pigs. 'Without Agrisgôp we would never have come together so we are grateful to Martyn for initiating it with Farming Connect and to Lilwen for pulling us all together.'' Another member of the group, Ed Walker, also sees big value in collective marketing, that 'strength in numbers''. 'As eight producers we are on a par with commercial farmers as we can offer consistency of supply but we are still individual small producers too.'' The businessman-turned-farmer produces around 600 pigs a year on an outdoor system at 46-acre Model Farm near Tenby. His 22 breeding sows are a mixture of Large Whites crossed with a Welsh boar and Oxford Sandy and Blacks which he crosses to a Large White. Keeping pigs started as hobby, alongside running his own civil engineering business, but it is now more or less a full-time job, with a part-time helper too. Almost all his sales are through Red Dragon Porc Cyf although he is also licenced to sell meat from the farm as Tenby Woodland Pork. Before the abattoir was established at Cilshafe, he would need to make a 150-mile round trip to the facility at Maesteg. The next stage for the co-operative could be to establish a meat box scheme. The throughput of pigs through the Lloyds' abattoir, which also processes other livestock, will be small initially but that is projected to increase as sales gain momentum. The facility has so far has created four full-time jobs and more could follow. Picture caption: Collaborating on pork marketing: Pictured from the left are Tom Young, Nic Caine, Martyn Lloyd, Ed Walker, Will Kerr and Lilwen Joynson
Pembrokeshire Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Over 100 gather to oppose GreenGen pylons in growing ‘David vs Goliath' battle
A NEW co-operative formed between West Wales pig farmers and a meat supplier is allowing pork from herds born and reared within the region to be transported for processing just a short distance in a low-throughput abattoir – reducing stress on the animals, providing low food miles meat for consumers and improving producer margins. The eight Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire-based farmers were brought together by the Farming Connect Agrisgôp initiative after the idea was discussed by Fishguard meat supplier and butcher Martyn Lloyd and Agrisgôp leader Lilwen Joynson. Martyn had been a member of another Agrisgôp group where Lilwen had helped him to develop his idea for a new processing facility and later, at a Farming Connect mentoring meeting, the idea for the Red Dragon Porc Cyf co-operative was established. Martyn and his wife, Danielle, had been unable to source low food miles pork for their customers. 'We could get beef and lamb and we have our own poultry but what we were missing was pork, we did our best to find Welsh pork for customers but that pork came with a lot of food miles and that doesn't fit with our business ethos,'' Martyn explains. Developing an abattoir on their farm at Cilshafe presented a solution. 'We wanted to get some pork producers on board, to help them advance their businesses,'' says Martyn. 'There are a lot of small pig producers in west Wales and many were struggling to work out how best to get their meat to the market but with an existing customer base we could help. We looked to Agrisgôp to help to bring that to life.'' After the first Agrisgôp meeting, facilitated by Lilwen, the idea took shape. Agrisgôp is a fully-funded management development programme that encourages eligible farmers to get together to not only develop their businesses, but to personally gain confidence and skills through action learning. And this is what happened for the Red Dragon Porc Cyf members. Farmers had been receiving inconsistent prices for their pigs when they marketed as individual businesses and their ability to supply a butcher directly was constrained as meeting supply volume requirements was tricky. 'The farmers shared a mission and were guided on putting their ideas into action,'' Lilwen explains. Building trust and confidence was crucial to the process of forming a cooperative. 'Collaboration and open sharing are definitely key,'' says Lilwen. 'Differences of opinion and thinking had to be overcome and a set of rules and values adopted with individuals accepting that it had to work for the majority since they were no longer operating as individual businesses.'' For some it even meant changing breeding patterns and breed type to accommodate market demands. At the end of 2024, Red Dragon Porc Cyf had already marketed £43,000 worth of pork, including sausages which captured awards at last year's Royal Welsh Winter Fair. In April, the missing part of the local pork jigsaw slotted into position when the Lloyds started processing pork at their own Food Standards Agency-approved abattoir. Until then, co-operative members including Will Kerr had to transport their pigs further to be processed. 'We didn't have any control over prices, the margins were very small,'' Will admits. 'Martyn opening the abattoir in Fishguard has been the catalyst we needed.'' Will has six Welsh pig breeding sows, which he runs alongside suckler beef and sheep enterprises at his family's farm, Blaenawen, at Glanrhyd. He had long been frustrated at the perception of pork being, in his words 'the cheap cousin'' of beef and lamb. While it has become commonplace for butchers to display the full history of the beef and lamb they are selling, Will points out that this is rarely applied to pork because it is largely sourced wholesale or has been imported. 'We too are now in a position to tell the exciting story of our pork,'' says Will, who farms with his parents, Mark and Kip. He sees a major advantage in being part of a co-operative. 'As a group we are more powerful, it gives us many advantages, we are already getting a better price for our pigs. 'Without Agrisgôp we would never have come together so we are grateful to Martyn for initiating it with Farming Connect and to Lilwen for pulling us all together.'' Another member of the group, Ed Walker, also sees big value in collective marketing, that 'strength in numbers''. 'As eight producers we are on a par with commercial farmers as we can offer consistency of supply but we are still individual small producers too.'' The businessman-turned-farmer produces around 600 pigs a year on an outdoor system at 46-acre Model Farm near Tenby. His 22 breeding sows are a mixture of Large Whites crossed with a Welsh boar and Oxford Sandy and Blacks which he crosses to a Large White. Keeping pigs started as hobby, alongside running his own civil engineering business, but it is now more or less a full-time job, with a part-time helper too. Almost all his sales are through Red Dragon Porc Cyf although he is also licenced to sell meat from the farm as Tenby Woodland Pork. Before the abattoir was established at Cilshafe, he would need to make a 150-mile round trip to the facility at Maesteg. The next stage for the co-operative could be to establish a meat box scheme. The throughput of pigs through the Lloyds' abattoir, which also processes other livestock, will be small initially but that is projected to increase as sales gain momentum. The facility has so far has created four full-time jobs and more could follow. Picture caption: Collaborating on pork marketing: Pictured from the left are Tom Young, Nic Caine, Martyn Lloyd, Ed Walker, Will Kerr and Lilwen Joynson
Pembrokeshire Herald
23-05-2025
- Business
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Pig farmers and meat processor join forces to add value to pork
A NEW co-operative formed between West Wales pig farmers and a meat supplier is allowing pork from herds born and reared within the region to be transported for processing just a short distance in a low-throughput abattoir – reducing stress on the animals, providing low food miles meat for consumers and improving producer margins. The eight Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire-based farmers were brought together by the Farming Connect Agrisgôp initiative after the idea was discussed by Fishguard meat supplier and butcher Martyn Lloyd and Agrisgôp leader Lilwen Joynson. Martyn had been a member of another Agrisgôp group where Lilwen had helped him to develop his idea for a new processing facility and later, at a Farming Connect mentoring meeting, the idea for the Red Dragon Porc Cyf co-operative was established. Martyn and his wife, Danielle, had been unable to source low food miles pork for their customers. 'We could get beef and lamb and we have our own poultry but what we were missing was pork, we did our best to find Welsh pork for customers but that pork came with a lot of food miles and that doesn't fit with our business ethos,'' Martyn explains. Developing an abattoir on their farm at Cilshafe presented a solution. 'We wanted to get some pork producers on board, to help them advance their businesses,'' says Martyn. 'There are a lot of small pig producers in west Wales and many were struggling to work out how best to get their meat to the market but with an existing customer base we could help. We looked to Agrisgôp to help to bring that to life.'' After the first Agrisgôp meeting, facilitated by Lilwen, the idea took shape. Agrisgôp is a fully-funded management development programme that encourages eligible farmers to get together to not only develop their businesses, but to personally gain confidence and skills through action learning. And this is what happened for the Red Dragon Porc Cyf members. Farmers had been receiving inconsistent prices for their pigs when they marketed as individual businesses and their ability to supply a butcher directly was constrained as meeting supply volume requirements was tricky. 'The farmers shared a mission and were guided on putting their ideas into action,'' Lilwen explains. Building trust and confidence was crucial to the process of forming a cooperative. 'Collaboration and open sharing are definitely key,'' says Lilwen. 'Differences of opinion and thinking had to be overcome and a set of rules and values adopted with individuals accepting that it had to work for the majority since they were no longer operating as individual businesses.'' For some it even meant changing breeding patterns and breed type to accommodate market demands. At the end of 2024, Red Dragon Porc Cyf had already marketed £43,000 worth of pork, including sausages which captured awards at last year's Royal Welsh Winter Fair. In April, the missing part of the local pork jigsaw slotted into position when the Lloyds started processing pork at their own Food Standards Agency-approved abattoir. Until then, co-operative members including Will Kerr had to transport their pigs further to be processed. 'We didn't have any control over prices, the margins were very small,'' Will admits. 'Martyn opening the abattoir in Fishguard has been the catalyst we needed.'' Will has six Welsh pig breeding sows, which he runs alongside suckler beef and sheep enterprises at his family's farm, Blaenawen, at Glanrhyd. He had long been frustrated at the perception of pork being, in his words 'the cheap cousin'' of beef and lamb. While it has become commonplace for butchers to display the full history of the beef and lamb they are selling, Will points out that this is rarely applied to pork because it is largely sourced wholesale or has been imported. 'We too are now in a position to tell the exciting story of our pork,'' says Will, who farms with his parents, Mark and Kip. He sees a major advantage in being part of a co-operative. 'As a group we are more powerful, it gives us many advantages, we are already getting a better price for our pigs. 'Without Agrisgôp we would never have come together so we are grateful to Martyn for initiating it with Farming Connect and to Lilwen for pulling us all together.'' Another member of the group, Ed Walker, also sees big value in collective marketing, that 'strength in numbers''. 'As eight producers we are on a par with commercial farmers as we can offer consistency of supply but we are still individual small producers too.'' The businessman-turned-farmer produces around 600 pigs a year on an outdoor system at 46-acre Model Farm near Tenby. His 22 breeding sows are a mixture of Large Whites crossed with a Welsh boar and Oxford Sandy and Blacks which he crosses to a Large White. Keeping pigs started as hobby, alongside running his own civil engineering business, but it is now more or less a full-time job, with a part-time helper too. Almost all his sales are through Red Dragon Porc Cyf although he is also licenced to sell meat from the farm as Tenby Woodland Pork. Before the abattoir was established at Cilshafe, he would need to make a 150-mile round trip to the facility at Maesteg. The next stage for the co-operative could be to establish a meat box scheme. The throughput of pigs through the Lloyds' abattoir, which also processes other livestock, will be small initially but that is projected to increase as sales gain momentum. The facility has so far has created four full-time jobs and more could follow. Picture caption: Collaborating on pork marketing: Pictured from the left are Tom Young, Nic Caine, Martyn Lloyd, Ed Walker, Will Kerr and Lilwen Joynson
Powys County Times
01-05-2025
- Business
- Powys County Times
Postmistress near Machynlleth set to retire after 50 years
A postmistress near Machynlleth is set to retire after 50 years of service. Lilwen Humphreys has been a pillar of the community at Cemmaes Road Post Office since May 1, 1975, and has decided to retire after her 80th birthday. A celebratory afternoon tea will be held in her honour, where family, friends, and loyal customers are invited to share fond memories with her. Mrs Humphreys said: "Running Cemmaes Road Post Office has been my way of life for 50 years, and it is my life. "I know I and my family have done our best for the community,y and I also know that they appreciate it." She added: "Running a Post Office is not only about selling stamps, sending parcels, etc, it's being part of a village and its community, making it home." Mrs Humphreys took on the role of postmistress in 1975 while raising her children. She and her husband, Arwel, who were milk retailers, saw the potential in running the post office and eventually bought the property, moving their family and the post office into a unit. For many years, they also ran a village shop and did milk and newspaper deliveries. During the Covid pandemic, Mrs Humphreys utilised her old contacts to get supplies for elderly customers who did not want to leave the village. Reflecting on the changes she has seen over the years, Mrs Humphreys said: "I've seen massive changes from the job I took on originally. "Gone are the days of pension books, savings stamps and books. "It's now mostly banking money in, money out, cheques in, it's still interesting but a definite change of work." However, the time has come for Mrs Humphreys to retire. She said: "I can't work forever. "I know it is now time to retire before technology beats me as I know that a new computer system will be introduced at some time in the future." She had hoped to find someone to take on the branch, even willing to sell her home to someone wanting to take on the Post Office. However, this has not happened. She expressed her regret, saying: "I'm truly sorry that I've let my customers down by closing and am very sad about that." Post Office regional manager, Rachel Lawler, said: "It's incredible that Lilwen has served her beloved community for 50 years and that she's carried on well past the time that most people retire. "It's a close-knit community, and Lilwen has been at the heart of the village for five decades. "It's only now, on the eve of her 80th birthday, that Lilwen is now ready to step down as postmistress. "I wish her a very well-earned retirement and I hope that she has a great celebration to mark these three major milestones that she is achieving this month." The Cemmaes Road Post Office will close on May 1.
