TAG Future Flock Event

Fourth generation farmer, David Charles Evans says support from the TAG project has given him the tools to better manage the development of his lambs from birth to slaughter on his 285 acre farm enterprise at Lampeter.

Working in partnership with his wife, Eryl, who manages the EID technology on Tan y Graig’s ewes and lambs, both say that registering stock details electronically has given them the power to manage better breeding ewes, deliver productive lambs and manage grass production. All three have made for better quality lambs sold for slaughter, which in turn offers better farm profitability.

David, known as Dai, and Eryl, who have three children, will host the TAG project ‘Future Flock Event’ at Tan y Graig, Silian, Lampeter on Tuesday 2 June 2015. Deputy Minister for Food and Farming at the Welsh Government, Rebecca Evans will officially open the event in the morning. Attendees are urged to arrive promptly for refreshments at 9:30am. The event will run until 3:00pm

Farmer David Charles explains “At the end of the day, we aim to produce quality Welsh lamb for consumers plus ensure profitability for our family farm enterprise.”


“TAG project has given us the tools, and the know-how to embrace the European changes put upon us in relation to Electronic Identification of breeding stock.

“We received an EID reader to input stock ear tags as we handle them, an electronic weighing scale plus the software to input information about each and every ewe, lamb and ram we own here at Tan y Graig. The TAG project enabled us begin the process of stock data recording, bringing information to us at the touch of a button, as we handle stock on the farm.”

Eryl Evans explains: “We can now record how lambs are developing from birth, which breeds are progressing well and which fields on the farm are offering us the best lamb productivity day by day. It gives us the opportunity to change tact if we see a batch of lambs not developing as they should in one field, for example. It’s offered us an insight into digital recorded information surrounding our stock.”

Running two different breeds at Tan y Graig, 300 Welsh Mules and 250 Tregaron Welsh mountain ewes, lambing occurs in-doors for ease of general management and data collection. The Welsh Mules are bought in at Christmas and shorn ready for lambing mid-February, with the Welsh mountain ewes following once the Welsh Mules have finished. Lambs are sold through Dunbia, Llanybydder, a few miles down the road under the Sainsburys Lamb Development Group scheme.

40 Belgian Blue cross sucklers now form part of the farming enterprise after the decision to cease milking in 2000. The Belgian Blue crosses calve in May and June with calves sold at Tregaron Market at 15 months weighing between 400 and 500 kilos. 50 dairy heifer are also reared on contract to a nearby dairy enterprise.