Farmers in Wales play a crucial role in producing high quality, climate-friendly food and fibre alongside protecting, maintaining and enhancing the environment and delivering wider social and cultural benefits.

In order to promote this essential work, NFU Cymru is pleased to be able to once again host its annual Sustainable Farming Conference.

This year’s conference, which is again kindly sponsored by Wynnstay Plc, will take place on Thursday, September 12 at Glan Elan, Rhayader, by kind permission of Rob Lewis, Chairman of NFU Cymru’s Livestock Board and his family. The event will begin at 10am with tea and coffee and will focus on sustainable livestock systems with keynote speaker Professor Michael Lee, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Harper Adams University. It will also look at building sustainable supply chains for food and fibre, with a panel of supply chain representatives; and discuss sustainable farming in practice, with a farmer panel highlighting the economic, environmental, social and cultural contributions of farming to Wales.

Weather permitting, a short farm walk will take place after lunch, showcasing the common land grazing at Glan Elan, so please do come dressed appropriately for this, as I believe this will be a real highlight of the day.

This event, which is the fourth of its kind hosted by NFU Cymru, is all about celebrating the symbiotic relationship between farming and the environment and aims to shine a light on all of the great work Welsh farmers do to maintain nature, biodiversity and habitats in and around their farms, their contribution to net zero and their local communities alongside their core role as food producers.

The conference is free to attend for NFU Cymru members and stakeholders and lunch will be provided, so please visit the NFU Cymru website or call the NFU Cymru office on 01982 554200 to register your attendance.

As part of the union’s work around sustainable farming, we are also searching for the fourth winner of our Sustainable Agriculture Award, which aims to recognise the unparalleled contribution Welsh farming enterprises make to the economic, environmental, social and cultural well-being of Wales.

Again, sponsored by Wynnstay Plc, the award will be given to the farm or farmer who, in the round, can demonstrate a commitment to the production of high-quality food to world leading standards; demonstrate their positive contribution to protecting, maintaining and enhancing the quality of the farmed environment; and demonstrate their involvement and contribution to the rural economy, rural community and Welsh culture.

The winner of the award will receive £500 and a commemorative accolade. The award will be presented at this year’s NFU Cymru Conference on Thursday, November 7.