Sam Rowlands, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, is delighted to see a farmer and his family from Flintshire scoop a top national award.
He said:
As a keen supporter of Welsh farmers I welcome any opportunity to highlight all the hard work they do to help towards the economic and environment in Wales and I am delighted that Clive Swan and his family from Ffrith Farm, Mold, have been announced winners of NFU Cymru/Wynnstay Sustainable Agriculture Award.
I think it is vitally important to recognise the contribution people like Clive make to the Welsh agricultural industry and I am particularly pleased to see this honour being awarded to a farming family in North Wales.
My heartiest congratulations go to Clive and his family.
The award, which was first presented in 2019, recognises a commitment to the economic, environmental, social and cultural wellbeing of Wales.
During a presentation at the NFU Cymru conference Clive and his son Ed were presented with a prize of £500 and a Welsh slate engraved barometer.
The Swans farm in the fertile fields of Mold, North East Wales, and is home to a 150-beef cattle herd. Having started with two pigs in 2010, they now have over 100 and also run a flock of free-range hens.
All of these animals supply their bustling farm shop which the family, made up of Clive, wife Gail, son Ed and daughter Rebecca, opened in March 2003.
They pride themselves on offering a fine food shopping experience with exceptional home produced d locally produced food.
The Swan family have farmed the 200 acres since 1980 and their emphasis has always been on minimum food miles and traceability.
Since joining the business full time in December 2021, Clive and Gail’s son Ed has been committed to taking the farm and shop to the next level by focusing on sustainability and their environmental impact.
It’s not ‘just a farm shop’, the Swans now have a farm-to-shop-trail to educate members of the public where people can walk around the farm and see the free-range pigs, the beef suckler herd, free range hens, honeybees and barley and wheat growing in the fields.
Ed has also branched out into growing pumpkins and sunflowers which are extremely popular with the general public. They host regular farm tours and educational visits for children, the WI, Scouts and local community groups.
Hedd Pugh, NFU Cymru Rural Affairs Board Chairman, one of the judges for the award, said:
I’d like to congratulate the Swan family on winning this award. It’s great to see the farm running alongside the shop and how they’ve managed to integrate the two businesses and involve customers in the whole process from farm to fork.
Producing high quality products whilst maintaining, protecting and enhancing the environment makes the Swans a fantastic example of how productive, efficient food production, environmental management and climate change mitigation measures can go hand in hand.
Sam Rowlands AS yn llongyfarch ffermwr a'i deulu o Ogledd Cymru am ennill Gwobr Amaethyddiaeth Gynaliadwy NFU Cymru/Wynnstay
Mae Sam Rowlands, Aelod o’r Senedd dros Ogledd Cymru, yn falch iawn o weld ffermwr a'i deulu o Sir y Fflint yn ennill gwobr genedlaethol o fri.
Dywedodd:
Fel cefnogwr brwd i ffermwyr Cymru, rwy'n croesawu unrhyw gyfle i dynnu sylw at yr holl waith caled y maen nhw’n ei wneud i helpu tuag at yr economi a'r amgylchedd yng Nghymru ac rwyf wrth fy modd bod Clive Swan a'i deulu o Ffrith Farm, yr Wyddgrug, wedi ennill Gwobr Amaethyddiaeth Gynaliadwy NFU Cymru/Wynnstay.
Rwy'n credu ei bod hi’n hollbwysig cydnabod y cyfraniad y mae pobl fel Clive yn ei wneud i ddiwydiant amaethyddol Cymru ac rwy'n arbennig o falch o weld yr anrhydedd hwn yn cael ei ddyfarnu i deulu ffermio yn y Gogledd.
Llongyfarchiadau mawr i Clive a'i deulu.
Mae'r wobr, a gyflwynwyd gyntaf yn 2019, yn cydnabod ymrwymiad i les economaidd, amgylcheddol, cymdeithasol a diwylliannol Cymru.
Yn ystod cyflwyniad yng nghynhadledd NFU Cymru cyflwynwyd gwobr o £500 i Clive a'i fab Ed a baromedr wedi’i gerfio o lechen Gymreig.
Mae’r Swans yn ffermio yng nghaeau ffrwythlon yr Wyddgrug yn y Gogledd Ddwyrain, ac mae'nr fferm yn gartref i fuches o 150 o wartheg eidion. Ar ôl dechrau gyda dau fochyn yn 2010, mae ganddyn nhw dros 100 erbyn hyn ac mae gynnon nhw haid o ieir buarth hefyd.
Mae'r holl anifeiliaid hyn yn cyflenwi eu siop fferm brysur a agorwyd gan y teulu, sy'n cynnwys Clive, ei wraig Gail, eu mab Ed a'u merch Rebecca, ym mis Mawrth 2003.
Maen nhw’n ymfalchïo mewn cynnig profiad siopa bwyd gwych gyda bwyd eithriadol a gynhyrchir yn lleol.
Mae’r teulu Swans wedi ffermio'r 200 erw ers 1980 ac mae eu pwyslais bob amser wedi bod ar y milltiroedd bwyd lleiaf posibl a’r gallu i olrhain tarddiad.
Ers ymuno â'r busnes yn llawn amser ym mis Rhagfyr 2021, mae mab Clive a Gail, Ed, wedi ymrwymo i fynd â'r fferm a siopa i'r lefel nesaf trwy ganolbwyntio ar gynaliadwyedd a'u heffaith amgylcheddol.
Nid 'siop fferm yn unig' yw hon, mae gan y Swans bellach lwybr fferm-i-siop i addysgu aelodau o'r cyhoedd lle gall pobl gerdded o amgylch y fferm a gweld y moch buarth, y fuches sugno eidion, ieir buarth, gwenyn mêl a haidd a gwenith yn tyfu yn y caeau.
Mae Ed hefyd wedi ehangu i dyfu pwmpenni a blodau haul sy'n hynod boblogaidd ymhlith y cyhoedd. Maen nhw’n cynnal teithiau fferm rheolaidd ac ymweliadau addysgol i blant, Sefydliad y Menywod, Sgowtiaid a grwpiau cymunedol lleol.
Meddai Hedd Pugh, Cadeirydd Bwrdd Materion Gwledig NFU Cymru, un o feirniaid y wobr:
Hoffwn longyfarch y teulu Swans ar ennill y wobr hon. Mae'n wych gweld y fferm yn cael ei rhedeg ochr yn ochr â'r siop a sut maen nhw wedi llwyddo i integreiddio'r ddau fusnes a chynnwys cwsmeriaid yn y broses gyfan o'r fferm i'r fforc.
Mae cynhyrchu cynhyrchion o ansawdd uchel gan gynnal, diogelu a gwella'r amgylchedd yn gwneud y Swans yn enghraifft wych o sut y gall cynhyrchu bwyd cynhyrchiol, effeithlon, rheolaeth amgylcheddol a mesurau lliniaru newid hinsawdd fynd law yn llaw.
