A webinar hosted by Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) will explore the latest research on the sustainability of Welsh beef and sheep farming and how the industry can improve productivity and environmental output simultaneously.
The ‘Researching Sustainable Farming in Wales’ webinar, being held on 22 February, will feature a panel of speakers including leading academic Dr Prysor Williams, senior lecturer in environmental management at Bangor University along with Joe Jones and Louise McNicol who are both PhD students at the School of Natural Sciences in Bangor University, undertaking research on aspects of agricultural sustainability.
The webinar comes after the successful launch of HCC’s Welsh Way Report last December. The report highlighted that whilst Welsh farmers can continue to improve their environmental outputs, Wales was one of the most environmentally-friendly producers of red meat in a global context. Dr Williams and Bangor University conducted the on-farm carbon audits of 20 Welsh beef and sheep farms from across Wales, which formed a key part of the report.
Dr Prysor Williams said
‘The carbon auditing work we conducted on Welsh farms uses the latest internationally-approved methods to study the emissions and carbon sequestration. I am looking forward to sharing this valuable insight with the wider industry into what Welsh farms are already doing well in terms of sustainability, and where further improvements can be made.’
Joe Jones and Louise McNicol are both PhD students under Dr Williams’ supervision and they will be discussing their own research in the webinar. Joe’s research is focused on the potential for precision grazing to improve the resilience of livestock production systems whereas Louise is researching strategies to reach zero carbon sheep and beef production on Welsh farms.
Both Joe and Louise’s research is part funded by HCC through the Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship (KESS 2) scheme. KESS 2 is a pan-Wales higher level skills initiative led by Bangor University on behalf of the HE sector in Wales. It is part funded by the Welsh Government’s European Social Fund (ESF) convergence programme for West Wales and the Valleys.
Nia Davies, HCC’s Research and Development officer, who will be chairing the discussion commented
‘The research being undertaken by Prysor, Joe and Louise is very timely; livestock farming’s sustainability credentials have been heavily scrutinized in the press and media over the recent years.’
‘We are delighted that we are able to share this research with the wider industry and also offer practical innovations which farmers can take on board to ensure Wales remains a leader in sustainable red meat production.’
‘The webinar will be held on Monday 22 February at 7:30pm and we would encourage and warmly welcome farmers, stakeholders and anyone else who is interested to join us.’
Registration is essential for the webinar and can be done via the HCC website. The webinar will be conducted bilingually and simultaneous translation will be available.
