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‘It’s about community, culture and language’: Welsh family farmers dig in
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- Steven Morris 29 December, 2021
‘It’s about community, culture and language’: Welsh family farmers dig in
for their future Level 2: Intermediate Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2022. Home >> Adults >> General English >> NEWS LESSONS •PHOT OCOPIABLE• CAN BE DOWNLOADED FROM WEBSITE Steven Morris 29 December, 2021 John Davies’s family has farmed in the hills and valleys of mid-Wales since the 19th century and he now works shoulder to shoulder with his 91-year-old father, Elwyn, and 20-year-old son, Brychan. “There’s a good balance,” says Davies. “Dad has seen it all, done it all. Brychan brings in new ideas from college. It’s good to see that blend of experience and ambition.” “Family farming businesses are incredibly important in Wales. We‘ve lived in these hills for six generations and we’d like to carry on for another six. It’s about community, culture and language. It’s about building for each generation.” But that building will not be straightforward. The future of the Welsh family farm appears to hang in the balance. Trade deals with countries such as New Zealand and Australia make sheep and beef farmers worry that they will not be able to compete with cheaper imports. Other pressures include the corporations buying up farmland to plant trees to offset their carbon emissions. “We do need to plant trees, but we need to make sure we do not lose farms to greenwashing operations,” said Davies. Farmers are also under pressure from environmental campaigners, who would prefer re-wilding schemes to take the place of traditional sheep and cattle farms. “We have to get away from the idea that cows and sheep are bad and woodland is good,” says Davies. People in Davies’s village, Merthyr Cynog, know that farming life can be difficult. The village lies beneath Mount Epynt, once a vibrant farming community that was cleared in 1940 to make way for a military training ground. The 219 inhabitants of the 54 farms had just three months to pack up and leave. Livelihoods, a way of life and, to a large extent, the Welsh language were destroyed. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Conscious that farms across Wales are under threat, the UK government has launched an inquiry into their future, examining not just the economic aspects but the damage the loss of every farm does to the local community. Its members heard that while, according to the last census, about 19% of people in Wales speak Welsh, more than 40% of workers in the farming industry speak the language. Welsh farming areas are often the places where the language is strongest. While Elwyn speaks Welsh, John does not, mainly as a result of the clearance. The revival of the language in schools now means that Brychan does speak Welsh. “For the language to prosper, farming is key,” said John. “When we’re at the market in Dolgellau, Welsh is the main language. You get a better deal if you can haggle in Welsh.” Davies is proud of the work his farm does to improve the environment, from planting trees on steep ground that cannot be used for growing crops to creating new wetlands. “As an industry, we have a clear ambition to be net zero by 2040 and provide the most climate- friendly food in the world,” he said. He remains hopeful. “We’ll have to adapt and deliver what is wanted but we have a great climate to grow food, a fantastic climate. And if we’re in a corner, we’ll fight.” Yet another problem for Welsh farming is demographics. The average age of a farmer in Wales is 60 and only 3% are under 35. That makes the attitude of people like John so crucial. Like his father, young Brychan is optimistic. “People are always going to need food and the issue of food miles is a big one. I don’t think we’ll going anywhere anytime soon.” © Guardian News and Media 2021 First published in The Guardian, 29/12/2021 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 |
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