Ceredigion sheep farmer James Raw has been named winner of this year’s Low Impact Award in the annual M&S Select Farm Awards for England and Wales.
The judges commended James for his farm’s resourcefulness and ethos of self-sufficiency.
Seventh-generation farmer James runs a hill farm in the heart of the Cambrian mountains with a lamb enterprise consisting of 850 Welsh Hill ewes in an outdoor lambing system, with finished lambs being supplied to M&S via processor Dunbia.
Sustainability has always been a central element of the farm’s management, with two hydroelectric turbines built in 2012 producing enough electricity to power 300 homes.
This power is exported to the grid as well as powering their home. But the farm’s record of environmentally friendly practices goes back further.
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“We have been in environmental schemes for probably 25 to 30 years,” commented James.
“Currently, one option we’ve chosen is to reduce grazing on the more than 300 hectares of peat bogs to help maintain and improve the carbon sequestration levels and number of heathers and sphagnum mosses.”
Elsewhere, subsoil left from the construction of the hydroelectric turbines was used to create earth banks, with hedgerows planted on top. Over the last 15 years, James has planted more than 3km of hedgerows, helping create a shelter for livestock, a carbon sink and wildlife corridors.
James also makes best use of the timber and windfall on the farm. He peels and processes some wood for fencing, beams and cladding, processes and naturally dries sustainable firewood and has commissioned several tables and benches from windblown oak for the farm’s holiday cottage.
Steve McLean, Head of Agriculture and Fisheries at M&S, said: "Every day, our Select Farmers go to extraordinary lengths to deliver great quality M&S food to our customers, producing lower carbon, responsible food, while protecting natural resources and driving innovation.
"James has expertly demonstrated how the natural resources of his farm can be used, not only to benefit its sustainability, but by producing so much hydroelectric power, the wider community too.”
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