This agricultural use began long ago as the first settlers arrived and began to plant crops and domesticate animals. The first farms were across the uplands, as most parts of the lowlands were too wooded or wet to make agriculture practical. Signs of these first farmers can be seen as the old settlements, cairns and even field boundaries that exist in the uplands.
Farming today is vastly different than is was for these early farmers. The most intensive agriculture occurs in the lowlands, where the removal of large areas of woodland has created pastures on fertile soils.
The Welsh Assembly Government regulates farming in Wales, you can find out more by visiting the Environment and countryside section of their website.
Sêr Ffermio y Bannau
As the biggest collective group of land managers in the Park, the National Park Authority is seeking advice from farmers on how to improve collaboration in delivering the management plan. We therefore hosted a meeting in June 2023 to form a discussion between Bannau Brycheiniog and farming allies in support of nature recovery through sustainable farming. The meeting consisted of an introduction by the Chief Executive, Catherine Mealing-Jones followed by an overview of the Management Plan by Helen Lucocq. The discussion revolved around 3 questions:
- What parts of the management plan are of common interest for farmers and graziers?
- What on-farm actions contribute to nature recovery, including improved water quality?
- How can the National Park support farmers to contribute to delivering the management plan, individually or collectively?
Below is the link to the report summarising the outcome of the meeting and recommendations for future actions.