Rhug Estate welcomed the Senedd Regional Member for North Wales, Sam Rowlands, recently on a visit organised by the CLA (Country Land & Business Association).
Lord Newborough, owner of Rhug Estate, showed Sam Rowlands MS around the diverse activities of the business. He also took the opportunity to discuss a number of issues with Mr Rowlands including tourism, agricultural policy, housing, sewerage capacity, labour shortages and the lack of grid capacity in the immediate area for the expansion of sustainable energy projects including car charging units at Rhug.
During the visit Lord Newborough explained how Covid-19 had affected the Estate,
We are a local business employing local people, we had over 100 staff before the pandemic struck last year. It was devastating to have to let staff, some of whom I had worked with for many years, go as we tried to manage the losses we faced. Every aspect of our business has been affected. The café is once again closed as we simply don’t have the staff to open, we’ve never seen a labour shortage quite like the one we are currently experiencing. As a supplier to many restaurants and hotels we have also seen a drastic decrease in our wholesale orders. It has made running some aspects of the business very difficult.
This summer saw a welcome return of tourists to the region and Lord Newborough took the opportunity to explain to Mr Rowlands the pressures on farms like Rhug which had diversified. Lord Newborough said, “Without tourists there was little point in us opening our farm shop, café and takeaway as there was no passing trade.
Sam Rowlands MS said,
Thank you to the CLA for organising the visit to Rhug and to Lord Newborough for spending time with me to explain the current situation on the farm and with the business. I was impressed by everything that they have achieved at Rhug and by their innovative and forward-thinking approach. I found it helpful to hear Rhug’s perspective on some of the challenges and opportunities facing the rural economy of North Wales and I look forward to taking these back to the Welsh Parliament.
Lord Newborough also aired his concern for smaller farmers who have been forced to diversify to try and make a viable enterprise for themselves and their family. Many of them invested heavily into creating holiday accommodation by the conversion of farm buildings into lettable units and acquiring houses to let out as holiday homes. Many of them have borrowed money to do this and it now forms a major part of their income. They all depend on a vibrant tourist industry and the two aspects of these businesses, farming and holiday lets, depend on one another.
Emma Story, Rhug’s Estate Manager said,
A policy that manages the interrelationships between different types of housing and the surrounding communities well, and acknowledges the pressures legislation brings, will be difficult to draft. Government, however, must focus on this issue urgently and the rural sector needs to raise its voice to highlight important factors. We were glad to be able to do this with Sam Rowlands. The lack of grid capacity in the area was also highlighted, a real barrier to carbon friendly solutions and something which must be addressed at a national level.
Ystad Rhug yn croesawu ymweliad gan Aelod o’r Senedd lleol.
Yn ddiweddar, croesawyd Sam Rowlands, Aelod Rhanbarthol o’r Senedd dros Ogledd Cymru, i Ystad Rhug ar ymweliad a drefnwyd gan y Gymdeithas Tir a Busnesau Cefn Gwlad.
Aeth yr Arglwydd Newborough, perchennog Ystad Rhug, â Sam Rowlands AS o gwmpas gwahanol weithgareddau’r busnes. Manteisiodd ar y cyfle hefyd i drafod nifer o faterion gyda Mr Rowlands, gan gynnwys twristiaeth, polisi amaethyddol, tai, capasiti carthffosiaeth, prinder llafur a diffyg capasiti yn y grid yn yr ardal gyfagos ar gyfer ehangu prosiectau ynni cynaliadwy, gan gynnwys unedau gwefru ceir yn Rhug.
Yn ystod yr ymweliad, eglurodd yr Arglwydd Newborough sut mae Covid-19 wedi effeithio ar yr Ystad:
Mae’n busnes ni’n fusnes lleol sy’n cyflogi pobl leol. Roedd gennym dros 100 o aelodau o staff cyn i’r pandemig daro’r llynedd. Roedd yn dorcalonnus gorfod diswyddo staff, a rhai ohonynt wedi bod yn gweithio i ni ers blynyddoedd, wrth i ni geisio rheoli’r colledion a oedd yn ein hwynebu. Mae pob elfen o’r busnes wedi’i heffeithio. Mae drysau’r caffi ar gau eto gan nad oes gennym ddigon o staff i agor. Dydyn ni erioed wedi gweld prinder llafur fel yr hyn sy’n ein hwynebu ar hyn o bryd. Fel cyflenwyr i lawer o fwytai a gwestai rydym hefyd wedi gweld gostyngiad sylweddol yn ein harchebion cyfanwerthu. Mae hyn wedi golygu bod cynnal rhai elfennau o’r busnes yn anodd iawn.
Braf oedd gweld twristiaid yn dychwelyd i’r rhanbarth yn ystod yr haf eleni a manteisiodd yr Arglwydd Newborough ar y cyfle i egluro i Mr Rowlands y pwysau sydd ar ffermydd fel Rhug sydd wedi arallgyfeirio. Meddai’r Arglwydd Newborough: “Heb dwristiaid doedd dim llawer o bwynt agor ein siop fferm, y caffi a’r lle tecawê gan nad oedd cwsmeriaid yn pasio.”
Meddai Sam Rowlands AS:
Diolch i’r Gymdeithas Tir a Busnesau Cefn Gwlad am drefnu’r ymweliad â Rhug ac i’r Arglwydd Newborough am dreulio amser gyda mi yn egluro’r sefyllfa sydd ohoni ar y fferm a gyda’r busnes. Roedd hi’n braf iawn gweld popeth maen nhw wedi’i gyflawni yn Rhug a’u dull arloesol a blaengar. Roedd hi’n fuddiol iawn clywed safbwynt Rhug ar rai o’r heriau a’r cyfleoedd sy’n wynebu economi’r Gogledd ac rwy’n edrych ymlaen at rannu’r rhain gyda’r Senedd.
Mynegodd yr Arglwydd Newborough ei bryderon hefyd am ffermydd bach sydd wedi’u gorfodi i arallgyfeirio er mwyn ceisio sicrhau menter hyfyw ar eu cyfer nhw eu hunain a’u teuluoedd. Buddsoddodd llawer ohonynt yn drwm mewn creu llety gwyliau drwy weddnewid adeiladau fferm yn unedau y gellid eu gosod a phrynu tai i’w gosod fel tai haf. Mae llawer ohonynt wedi benthyg arian i wneud hyn ac mae bellach yn rhan sylweddol o’u hincwm. Maent i gyd yn dibynnu at ddiwydiant twristiaeth bywiog ac mae dwy elfen y busnesau hyn, ffermio a gosod tai gwyliau, yn dibynnu ar ei gilydd.
Meddai Emma Story, Rheolwr Ystad Rhug:
Bydd polisi sy’n rheoli’n dda y gydberthynas rhwng gwahanol fathau o dai a’r cymunedau sydd o’u hamgylch ac sy’n yn cydnabod y pwysau a ddaw yn sgil deddfwriaeth, yn anodd ei ddrafftio. Fodd bynnag, mae’n rhaid i’r Llywodraeth ganolbwyntio ar y mater hwn ar unwaith ac mae’r sector gwledig angen codi ei lais i dynnu sylw at ffactorau pwysig. Rydym yn falch o allu gwneud hyn gyda Sam Rowlands. Tynnwyd sylw at y diffyg capasiti yn y grid yn yr ardal hefyd, sy’n rhwystr go iawn i ddatrysiadau carbon gyfeillgar ac yn rhywbeth y mae’n rhaid i ni fynd i’r afael ag ef ar lefel genedlaethol.
