Welsh anger rising at MoD lamb policy
Welsh anger rising at MoD lamb policy
By Robert Davies
PROTESTS against the Ministry of Defences lamb buying policy are spreading across Wales, with more and more farmers telling the forces they can no longer use farm land for military exercises.
Shocked to learn that only 2% of sheepmeat fed to troops in the UK is home produced (News, Feb 11), the Montgomeryshire branch of the Farmers Union of Wales has called on its members to adopt a total non-cooperation policy with the ministry until the situation has been resolved. NFU Cymru Wales president, Hugh Richards warned the MoD that farmer action would continue to spread and the forces may face a total block on access to private land.
Among the many Welsh farmers who have stopped co-operating with the MoD in protest over its lamb buying policy are John and Wyn Owen. They have declared their 656ha (1574 acres) of rough grazing in Snowdonia a no-go area for military exercises.
Most neighbours farming the rest of the 8900ha (22,000 acres) Carneddau range have done the same, ending generations of good relations with the army.
With 1650 Welsh Mountain ewes and 300 yearlings on unfenced, unimproved land running up to the 900m (3000ft) contour they believe that the least the MoD could do would be to use Welsh or British lamb in return for access.
"I do not accept the claim that frozen home produced lamb is not available at a competitive price," said John Owen, the new chairman of Mid-Gwynedd NFU. "There is British lamb in private storage and the MoD should buy it rather than going for cheap imports."
The brothers have seen the value of draft ewes from the land used by troops fall from £15 a head to nothing in two years. The strong £ has also cut prime lamb returns by hitting exports of light hill lambs.
John Owen claims that the crisis has badly damaged farmers in the Conwy Valley, the location of Llwydfaen, Talycafn, the lowland unit he farms in partnership with his brother and mother. *
John and Wynn Owen dispute MoD claims that UK meat is unavailable.