Once you’ve worn out second gear through all the new 20mph villages on the A40, the road starts to climb. After Brecon, you’re greeted by a windscreen full of bunched-up topography and, in my case, a cup of tea in a farm kitchen with Stella and Andrew Phillips.
They’ve been up since 2am as they often are at this time of year. It’s lambing and calving season and in the maternity unit — a large shed next to the farmhouse — the 12-hour-old calf is feeding well. Two pens along, the Phillips children, Lexi, 11, and Cam, 7, are looking after four mewling lambs whose mothers decided motherhood wasn’t for them. The rest of the shed is a cacophonous nursery of newborns.
Once the lambs
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The Welsh farmers who fear an eco land grab |
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A farmers’ revolt is brewing over climate and biodiversity plans. While agriculture is now a bigger source of greenhouse gas emissions than power generation, many farmers say they are being driven out of business by plans to swap sheep for trees. Matt Rudd visited Wales — the frontline of the new ecowars. |
