Dafydd Roberts and Ffermio Bro
We all know and appreciate that our National Landscape always strives to be on the front foot – and its relationship with those who earn their livelihood farming the land is a vital part of that agenda. The NL’s staff already includes members with a strong farming background, as illustrated by several that we’ve met in our Meet the Team feature. Now, with Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming (SFS) Scheme underway, all Welsh Designated Landscapes are required to locally manage a support funding stream known as Ffermio Bro. Recently appointed to lead on this for the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley is Dafydd Roberts, a farmer from Treuddyn.
Dafydd has many strengths and first and foremost in this new role, of course, is the ability to talk to the farming community as one of them. Brought up on a large dairy farm on the outskirts of his home village, Dafydd has spent the whole of his working life, alongside his brother, running this very successful business. He has a deep understanding of the countryside, husbandry and, vital in this context, the business complications that go with it. More unusually Dafydd, who attended Maes Garmon School in Mold and is a fluent Welsh speaker, is a maths graduate of Manchester University and was all set for a career as a stockbroker in London! His loyalty to family concerns nearer to hand were pressing though and it was Treuddyn that won the day. Now, with the farm remaining in safe family hands and a change in emphasis from dairy to beef, Dafydd has been able to take this opportunity to have a change of scene and help both the farming community and the environment through Ffermio Bro. It’s something he’s relishing and which his friendly and outgoing personality suits perfectly
What exactly is Ffermio Bro? It’s a grant scheme which took effect in April this year to provide funding for farmers within Welsh designated landscapes to initiate action on the ground which will help them meet the targets set through SFS. With the overarching aim of sustaining food production, it encourages farmers to engage in work which will mitigate against climate change, build resilience in our ecosystems and assist nature recovery and biodiversity. It’s set against a target of achieving 30% of land meeting agreed requirements by 2030. Related aims such as improved public access and action to reduce harmful invasive species are also important, with a parallel requirement to safeguard and promote Welsh Language and culture. Dafydd reports to a Panel made up of selected local farmers who agree all grant awards above £10,000.
Ffermio Bro funds are currently available until March 2028 but there is a strong expectation that it will continue long after that. The good news is that the initial funding given to CR and DV this year has already been allocated, such is the excellence of the working relationships established and the enthusiasm created. Dafydd hopes that this will ensure a much increased financial allocation when the next tranche of funding is agreed. He says that the greatest area of action supported so far has of been towards improved land boundaries, with robust and nature positive hedging and stone walling schemes providing havens for a wide spectrum of the natural world. Working closely with both the local team and fellow Ffermio Bro advisers across Wales, his emphasis now is to increase the number of collaborative schemes, bringing farms and farmers together, with the obvious benefits to biodiversity. Local progress made by the NL in related areas such as curlew recovery and the dark skies initiative also fit perfectly into Ffermio Bro objectives and Dafydd will seek to build on what has already been achieved.
Busy times ahead then for Dafydd who will, of course, always remain involved with his farm in Treuddyn and continue to take a full part in his community and in the social life of the village. He’s married to Hilary, originally from Blackburn who he met when she was a law student in Chester, and they have four, now grown up, children. He lists rugby and cricket amongst his varied other interests. We look forward to keeping a very close eye on Ffermio Bro’s progress in our National Landscape and hopefully, with Dafydd’s help, we can bring further reports to Views on some of the detailed field work, as this vitally important initiative gains increasing momentum.
Dafydd Roberts and Ffermio Bro
Rydym i gyd yn gwybod ac yn gwerthfawrogi bod ein Tirwedd Genedlaethol bob amser yn ymdrechu i fod ar y blaen – ac mae ei pherthynas â’r rhai sy’n ennill eu bywoliaeth trwy ffermio’r tir yn rhan hanfodol o’r agenda honno. Mae staff y NL eisoes yn cynnwys aelodau sydd â chefndir ffermio cryf, fel y dangosir gan sawl un yr ydym wedi cwrdd â nhw yn ein herthygl Cwrdd â’r Tîm. Nawr, gyda Chynllun Ffermio Cynaliadwy (SFS) Llywodraeth Cymru ar y gweill, mae’n ofynnol i bob Tirwedd Ddynodedig yng Nghymru reoli ffrwd ariannu cymorth o’r enw Ffermio Bro yn lleol. Wedi’i benodi’n ddiweddar i arwain ar hyn ar gyfer Bryniau Clwyd a Dyffryn Dyfrdwy mae Dafydd Roberts, ffermwr o Dreuddyn.
Mae gan Dafydd lawer o gryfderau ac yn gyntaf oll yn y rôl newydd hon, wrth gwrs, yw’r gallu i siarad â’r gymuned ffermio fel un ohonyn nhw. Wedi’i fagu ar fferm laeth fawr ar gyrion ei bentref genedigol, mae Dafydd wedi treulio ei oes waith gyfan, ochr yn ochr â’i frawd, yn rhedeg y busnes llwyddiannus iawn hwn. Mae ganddo ddealltwriaeth ddofn o gefn gwlad, hwsmonaeth ac, yn hanfodol yn y cyd-destun hwn, y cymhlethdodau busnes sy’n dod gydag ef. Yn fwy anarferol, mae Dafydd, a fynychodd Ysgol Maes Garmon yn yr Wyddgrug ac sy’n siaradwr Cymraeg rhugl, yn raddedig mathemateg o Brifysgol Manceinion ac roedd yn barod am yrfa fel brocer stoc yn Llundain! Roedd ei deyrngarwch i bryderon teuluol yn agosach at law yn pwyso serch hynny a Treuddyn a enillodd y dydd. Nawr, gyda’r fferm yn parhau i fod yn nwylo diogel y teulu a newid pwyslais o laeth i gig eidion, mae Dafydd wedi gallu manteisio ar y cyfle hwn i gael newid golygfa a helpu’r gymuned ffermio a’r amgylchedd trwy Ffermio Bro. Mae’n rhywbeth y mae’n ei fwynhau ac mae ei bersonoliaeth gyfeillgar ac allblyg yn gweddu’n berffaith i hynny.
Beth yn union yw Ffermio Bro? Mae’n gynllun grant a ddaeth i rym ym mis Ebrill eleni i ddarparu cyllid i ffermwyr o fewn tirweddau dynodedig Cymru i gychwyn camau gweithredu ar lawr gwlad a fydd yn eu helpu i gyrraedd y targedau a osodwyd drwy’r Cynllun Ffermio Bro. Gyda’r nod cyffredinol o gynnal cynhyrchu bwyd, mae’n annog ffermwyr i ymgysylltu mewn gwaith a fydd yn lliniaru newid hinsawdd, yn meithrin gwydnwch yn ein hecosystemau ac yn cynorthwyo adferiad natur a bioamrywiaeth. Mae wedi’i osod yn erbyn targed o gyflawni 30% o dir yn bodloni’r gofynion y cytunwyd arnynt erbyn 2030. Mae nodau cysylltiedig fel gwell mynediad i’r cyhoedd a chamau gweithredu i leihau rhywogaethau ymledol niweidiol hefyd yn bwysig, gyda gofyniad cyfochrog i ddiogelu a hyrwyddo’r Iaith a diwylliant Cymru. Mae Dafydd yn adrodd i Banel sy’n cynnwys ffermwyr lleol dethol sy’n cytuno ar bob dyfarniad grant uwchlaw £10,000.
Mae cronfeydd Ffermio Bro ar gael ar hyn o bryd tan fis Mawrth 2028 ond mae disgwyliad cryf y bydd yn parhau ymhell ar ôl hynny. Y newyddion da yw bod y cyllid cychwynnol a roddwyd i CR a DV eleni eisoes wedi’i ddyrannu, cymaint yw rhagoriaeth y perthnasoedd gwaith a sefydlwyd a’r brwdfrydedd a grëwyd. Mae Dafydd yn gobeithio y bydd hyn yn sicrhau dyraniad ariannol llawer uwch pan gytunir ar y gyfran nesaf o gyllid. Dywed mai’r maes gweithredu mwyaf a gefnogwyd hyd yn hyn fu tuag at ffiniau tir gwell, gyda chynlluniau gwrychoedd a waliau cerrig cadarn a chadarnhaol i natur yn darparu hafanau i sbectrwm eang o’r byd naturiol. Gan weithio’n agos gyda’r tîm lleol a chynghorwyr Ffermio Bro eraill ledled Cymru, ei bwyslais nawr yw cynyddu nifer y cynlluniau cydweithredol, gan ddod â ffermydd a ffermwyr ynghyd, gyda’r manteision amlwg i fioamrywiaeth. Mae’r cynnydd lleol a wnaed gan yr NL mewn meysydd cysylltiedig fel adferiad y gylfinirod a’r fenter awyr dywyll hefyd yn cyd-fynd yn berffaith ag amcanion Ffermio Bro a bydd Dafydd yn ceisio adeiladu ar yr hyn sydd eisoes wedi’i gyflawni.