Hay Festival visitors invited to local farms

Visitors attending the forthcoming Hay Festival are invited to join five local farmers on guided tours of their farms to learn more about where and how food is produced.

Farm tours will run every day from Monday, 27 May until Friday, 31 May, where visitors can enjoy tours of practical working farms. Five different farmers have volunteered to open their gates to the general public. The first tour takes place on Monday 27 May at Llwynberried farm, Llanigon where John Price will show visitors around his beef enterprise.

The second tour on Tuesday, 28 May, will be an opportunity to walk around David and Catherine James’ farm, Trevithel Court, which produces cider apples and honey. Tour three, Wednesday, 29 May, visits Andrew Giles’, Maesllwch Dairy farm, where visitors will be able to milk the cows as well as see the young calves. Day four, Thursday, 30 May, heads to the Welsh Venison Centre, Bwlch, owned by Andrew and Elaine Morgan. Along with a farm tour, visitors will also get the chance to look around the farm shop. The final tour, Friday, 31 May, takes place at New Court Farm, Brobury. The tour will consist of a sheep dog demonstration, sheep shearing, and fleece spinning.

Glasnant Morgan, NFU Cymru County Chairman for Brecon and Radnor said, “Brecon and Radnor NFU Cymru County Branch are pleased to be sponsoring this event once again and I thank all the other sponsors for their contribution. The Hay festival attracts thousands of visitors to the area every year which is an ideal opportunity to inform the general public of where food is produced and the merits of buying home-produced food.”

Mr Morgan continued, “It is all about re-connecting people with how and where food is produced and we are most grateful to all of the host farmers for agreeing to allow visitors into their homes to see how farms operate. The uptake for the tours has been extremely encouraging and I hope this is a reflection of the general public realising the important role farmers play in terms of food production and protecting the landscape.”

Tickets are still available via the Telegraph Hay Festival box office, 01497 822 629, for anyone wishing to attend.