Information » Environment » Conservation and Environment » Farming and Agriculture
- Land in Wales is rich and fertile; historically farming has always been a key part of life
- Without agriculture, the landscape of Wales would be very different. Farmers help to conserve our countryside to keep it looking the way it does; maintaining hedgerows, fields and habitats for a huge variety of wildlife
Types of Farms
- Livestock farms
- Sheep farms are the most common type of farm in Wales. Most of the lamb eaten in Britain comes from Wales
- Sheep farming suits the rugged landscape of Wales, as many breeds can survive in relatively harsh conditions
- Cows are farmed for two reasons - for their milk, which we use to make cheese, yoghurt and other dairy products, or for beef, where cows are bred for meat
- Pigs are also farmed for pork in this country
- Arable farming
- Arable farmers grow crops such as wheat and also fruits and vegetables
- Crops are now diversifying into plants such as rapeseed oil, which has a distinctive yellow flower
- Urban farms
- If you do not live in the countryside, you may want to visit an urban farm
- Many of these farms have animals you can see close up - if you visit in Spring you may be able to feed a new-born lamb
- For more information, visit the FARM ANIMALS section of the website
Farming today
- Agriculture is now a less prominent industry than it used to be, and has greatly declined over the last century
- Agriculture's importance in our economy has changed mainly because instead of growing our own food, we now import large amounts of food from abroad. This means that food is cheaper, but it would cause major problems if anything happened to affect these imports
- Agriculture is adapting to meet the changes demanded by consumers with many farmers switching to organic produce, or forming their own farmer's markets that are popular with today's consumers
- Demand for local produce is increasing all the time. Welsh farmers have a reputation for producing very high quality food, and shoppers will pay more for meat like lamb which they know has come from a local farm
- If you are concerned about buying local food, look out for the Little Red Tractor sign, which is a guarantee your food has been produced in Britain
