Conservation and sustainability on the Great Orme

With views right across the Irish Sea and Anglesey in the short distance, it is no wonder that it’s rugged landscape attracts over 600,000 visitors a year.

But the Great Orme is more than just a tourist attraction.

It is home to National Trust tenant shepherd Dan Jones and 650 sheep. Dan has been the custodian of Parc Farm for the past five years and looks after not just the 145 acres included with the farm, but helps to manage a total of 900 acres, which have grazing rights for 416 ewes plus followers.

Dan was born on a small family farm on Anglesey, and farming was always his passion.

“My parents wanted me to do something different but I really wanted to farm. I went to Llysfasi college and then to Aberystwyth University to study agriculture. I always wanted to be my own boss and loved working with animals, so this was a really natural progression,” he says.

The National Trust bought Parc farm in 2015, and it was an important purchase as there were plans to convert the 150 acres farm into a golf course and with that the sheep would have had to go.

The hefted flock of sheep (so-called because they are self-maintaining and 'heft' to their patch of land without fences) are essential residents on the Great Orme, ensuring grazing rights are maintained and the landscape and biodiversity flourish.

A traditional upland sheep farmer, Dan farms in a nature-first way. Food production is done in a sustainable, natural way here. It is non-intensive, and goes hand-in-hand with looking after the environment.

“This way of farming has been a natural way of farming in Wales for generations. Some might consider it a bit old-fashioned. But it’s the traditional Welsh upland way. That means we work with nature and with the seasons and not against them. We don’t use any inorganic fertiliser and supplement the sheep as little as possible so they can use their natural environment to produce food,” explains Dan.

Since the foot and mouth crisis, sheep numbers have decreased on the Great Orme, a situation that’s replicated all over the uplands of Wales, bringing with it a myriad of challenges.

The drop in sheep numbers here had a detrimental effect on this historic landscape and saw rank vegetation, tall, tussocky grassland that is dominated by coarse species of grass, take over.

“Because we are on limestone, we get some interesting plants here that live nowhere else on earth. There is one plant here which is very important in terms of conservation and that's the Great Orme berry, a native cotoneaster," says Dan.

"It is one of our rarest wild plants, and only six original wild bushes of this indigenous cotoneaster are known in the world. All six wild bushes grow here. We’ve got other important plants such as the spike speedwell (veronica spicata) too and we need to look after those plants.

“A survey was done in June this year and the numbers are looking really good. Wildflowers and the number of invertebrates have increased. It’s going in the right direction and we’ve achieved quite a lot in just five years,”

As the Great Orme is recognised as a country park, a SSSI and an IPA (Important Plant Area) it is managed by the local council and Natural Resources Wales, whom Dan works with closely.

He also works with the National Trust and Plantlife Cymru which has bought the hefted sheep flock for the farm.

Working with the RSPB and implementing specific grazing strategies has seen a welcome increase in certain species.

Part of the Great Orme is also owned by the North Wales Wildlife Trust and Dan works closely with them too to graze their sites.

When it comes to sustainable food production, whilst caring for the environment, farmers like Dan Jones are leading the way.

“There is a massive difference as to how I produce meat and the big feedlots across the world. It’s frustrating when we get tarred with the same brush. Climate change is here and we need to do something about it.

"But Welsh farming needs to stand up for itself and showcase all the good things we’re doing. We’re not trying to kill the world, we’re producing food whilst helping the planet, nature and wildlife and making the area beautiful for everyone.”

The sheep on the hills play an essential part. “We need to keep the sheep on the hills to keep important plants flourishing. However, we do need to be aware of overgrazing which has happened in the past. There has to be balance. Everything in life is about balance and that’s what I try to do here.

“We will have to plant more trees but it’s important that it’s the right tree in the right areas. Some of the intensive lowland farms are probably, in terms of wildlife and nature, not as varied but that’s the land which produces the most food.

"A decision must be made between having food and nature and conservation and balance it out. Taking farming away and letting everything grow wild doesn’t work. We need to manage our landscape and control the grazing, whilst feeding an ever-growing population.”

When it comes to people’s diets and food, Dan is a firm believer in personal choice, as long as it is well informed.

“The diet people have is their own choice and if they want to be vegan that’s fine. But education is key. We need to show people where their food comes from, and there is a difference between production systems. Having a balanced diet is really important for your health and also for our planet.”

Dan speaks from experience and found out how important a balanced diet is when he took part in an ultra endurance bicycle race completing 1,200 miles in the summer.

“We need good quality protein and there are only so many lentils you can eat to sustain yourself and get the right amount of protein on board. Meat and dairy are a crucial part of the diet if you want to avoid chemically produced alternatives. We have a choice when it comes to what we eat and should consider where and how that food is produced and how sustainable that is.”

Attracting over 600,000 visitors a year, The Great Orme and Parc Farm are the second most visited natural attraction in the country, second only to Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). That gives shepherd Dan a great opportunity to educate people from different backgrounds and show them how things are done here.

“Part of my role here is public engagement, and I try to get this message out to the general public. I also take groups in to show them how we farm. I’m often surprised about how little people know about food production. ”

In the future Dan hopes to set up his own catering business on the farm, selling lamb and wool products, as well as locally produced honey.

“I have some beehives, which I keep to help with pollination, and I hope to sell some honey soon. At the moment there is only enough honey for home consumption but it’s great. This time of year it’s mainly heather honey because that’s what’s flowering right now. I hope to get a few more bees soon.

"I have had them for four years now and it’s quite enjoyable. What they do is amazing. They are hard work and time consuming but I would encourage anyone to have a few hives on the land for the sake of our environment.”