TV show to showcase life as hill farmer in Wales

A BBC TV show will give an insight into working on a hill farm during one of the most challenging years in history.

Welsh hill farmer Gareth Wyn Jones stars in the four-part series that saw TV cameras follow him during the aftermath of last spring’s snowstorms.

The extreme weather in March 2013 proved devastating for upland farms, leading to the loss of thousands of animals.

The first programme will show how Mr Jones, who farms the same land his family have been farming for more than 350 years, worked tirelessly to locate his ewes and lambs that were buried in the snow in a bid to save them.

He also mounted a very public media and Twitter campaign to draw attention to the plight of the farms affected and to force the government to offer practical support to the industry.

See more: Welsh farmer wins community champion award

The camera crew actually followed Mr Jones and his family during the course of an entire year, so later programmes will give a more general flavour of life on a traditional upland farm – the highs and the lows.

According to the BBC, the underlying question throughout the series is clear – what does the future hold for the traditional Welsh hill farm?

“It is a dying job – there’s not many people who want to come into this,” says Mr Jones.

“It’s long hours for very little reward. Physically, mentally, emotionally – it’s tough. But the truth is, if you’re born and bred into it, you know nothing better. That’s the way it is. That’s the way of the mountains.”

The Hill Farm starts on Tuesday, 18 March at 7.30pm on BBC Two Wales.