Cambrian Mountains Initiative
In Mid Wales a cross-cutting partnership has helped to establish a project to protect the environment and add value to services in the area. The Cambrian Mountains Initiative was inspired by The Prince of Wales who as President wishes to help sustain traditional upland farms and rural communities.
The Cambrian Mountains is a distinctive upland area of vast, unspoilt natural beauty that supports valued habitats and species. The region’s farming methods date back to the Middle Ages and sound management of the Cambrian Mountains and their natural ecosystems have an important role to play in the face of climate change. Traditional farming methods can help reduce flooding as well as storing and maintaining the purity of the public water supply in more extreme weather conditions.
The Cambrian Mountains Initiative aims to help consumers connect to the life and people of the Cambrian Mountains by encouraging visits to the area to appreciate its beauty firsthand. One of the aims of the enterprise is to foster a connection between the consumer and the source of their food. By fostering this interrelation between top quality, delicious, natural foods from the area and the touristic attraction of the Cambrian Mountains a mutually beneficial degree of added value will be given to both. Farmers, food producers and tourism businesses who sign up to the principles of the Mynyddoedd Cambrian Mountains brand have the opportunity to use the brand identity on their products and services. This umbrella brand is intended to promote the region and signal values that consumers will recognise, trust and enjoy.
The first product to go to market is Cambrian Mountains Lamb. A group of farms in Mid Wales formed the Cambrian Mountains Lamb Group and currently supply Truly Irresistible Cambrian Lamb to the Co-operative Supermarket group across the UK. The lamb is produced from native breeds in the Cambrian Mountains of Mid Wales. The hefted flocks are kept on Farm assured farms using the old “Hafod a Hendre” system. The farms are managed through using skills and knowledge that have been passed down from one generation to the next. One such tradition is the "cyfnewid" system of neighbouring farmers helping each other at certain times of the year such as shearing and Autumn gathering.
The partnership includes Ceredigion, Powys and Carmarthenshire local authorities, the Countryside Council for Rural Wales (CCW) and the Welsh Assembly Government. A food marketing group has also been established chaired by Gareth Rowlands, co-founder of Rachel’s Organic Dairy.
Photo credit: Nick Harmann
Posted 24th September 2009
