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Big agenda for sheep conference

A NUMBER of the hot topics in food and farming will be up for debate at the National Sheep Association (NSA) Welsh Sheep Event in Glynllifon near Caernarfon on May 21.

As part of the event, Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) is working with the NSA to organise a series of discussion seminars, with expert keynote speakers from all over Wales and beyond ready to discuss the biggest issues of concern to sheep farmers.

One vital topic which will be addressed is the environmental credentials of Welsh farming.

While some media discussion of livestock farming has focused on its impact on deforestation and greenhouse gases in some parts of the world, HCC and others have pointed out that Welsh farming has a much more positive story to tell.

Rearing sheep and cattle on grassland, as is overwhelmingly the case in Wales, requires much fewer inputs in terms of water and supplementary feed, and grass-based farming systems can help to regenerate the soil and aid carbon sequestration.

Dr Prysor Williams from Bangor University is one of the guest speakers at May’s event. He said; “I’m looking forward to a lively discussion with farmers at the NSA event, bringing out how small on-farm changes can both increase efficiency and the farm’s environmental credentials. There will also be an opportunity to discuss how Welsh agriculture can deliver many environmental benefits compared to other production systems.”

The environment seminar will also include contributions from Glynllifon farm manager Rhodri Owen, and HCC’s Gwawr Parry who will discuss how genetic improvement could help secure a sustainable future for upland sheep farming.

Another session will concentrate on animal health, with a particular focus on how pro-active management of flock health can have a positive impact on farmers’ businesses. HCC’s Dr Rebekah Stuart will be joined on the panel by Dr Neil Paton of the Royal Veterinary College and Dr Peers Davies of Liverpool University, who will respectively discuss sheep scab and ‘iceberg’ diseases which can indicate wider flock health problems.

A third seminar will take a broad view of the future of the sheep sector after Brexit, with industry leaders Phil Stocker (NSA), Tim Render (Welsh Government) and Gwyn Howells (HCC) on hand to discuss the latest developments.

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