Factories come and factories go

There can, seemingly, be no doubt that the dairy industry of West Wales is on it’s last legs. Apart from that which is made into cheese at Haverfordwest - and an even smaller amount at Newcastle Emlyn - the remainder of the milk being produced has to be transported, at great cost, to Caernarvon and Llangefni in North Wales, Cheshire or over the Severn Bridge.

The factories at Whitland, St. Clears, Carmarthen, Felinfach, Llangadog and Swansea, where thousands were employed in processing and transportation have long gone.

Farmers are not crying ‘wolf’ - the writing is on the wall as so many bills from their own suppliers are having to go unpaid and there is only so much that their bankers have been able to do to offer any form of assistance.

As the industry stumbles helplessly from one crisis to another, the tragic news is that all dairy farmers face further cuts to their income this month and next as the sector experiences the lowest average milk price for seven years.

The farming unions have called on all within the supply chain to fully recognise the seriousness of the situation and seek solutions.

For March, the average UK milk price - well under 16p per litre - stood at the lowest it has been since 2009. Incredibly, some milk producers in Wales will be receiving little more than 12p per litre for milk they produce this spring.

For the NFU in Wales, Aled Jones considers even the most efficient dairy farmers cannot survive at these levels.

“There’s no question that this is the most difficult time many dairy farmers have ever faced with milk prices far below breakeven levels,” he said adding: “Our representatives attended the European milk meeting earlier this month where we saw the same sentiment shared across Europe. What we have seen is that Welsh and UK dairy farmers are reacting to the market reality with daily milk volumes now falling below the production levels of this time last year - this, unfortunately, is not the case elsewhere in Europe.”

How different things were when the foundation stone was laid for the new Carmarthen creamery in 1930. The ceremony included speeches in which it was declared that “the dairy in Carmarthen would be the ‘last word’ in efficiency and would be second to none in the country,” and that it would “be equipped with the latest type of plant for the treatment of milk with an up-to-date laboratory, conducted by fully qualified staff, including an expert bacteriologist.”

In his speech, a County Councillor claimed that the new business - the Retail Dairymen’s Mutual Ltd -had ‘dropped lucky’ in coming to Carmarthen which was the centre of such a large milk producing area. Carmarthenshire butter was already noted throughout South Wales and in London, and the ‘Mutual’ were going to help make Carmarthenshire milk equally noted.

The growth of the ‘Mutual’ in Carmarthenshire and South West Wales generally had been phenomenal, and much of the company’s success was due to the outstanding men in the dairy trade. The success of the ‘Mutual’ would also mean success of the agricultural community generally.

A representative of the ‘Mutual’ had, two years earlier, started visiting farms throughout West Wales and holding meetings for farmers at marts in order to obtain the milk for processing in local dairies, and then transporting it by train to the London market.

The company rapidly expanded setting up creameries throughout the three counties - Carmarthenshire, Cardiganshire and Pembrokeshire. This was an important period of expansion for milk production in West Wales in which technical, health and educational developments had major impacts as well the requirements for milk during the Second World War.

“I have the honour to represent a county that sends 20,000,000 gallons of milk annually to London and has now 2,000 tuberculin tested milking herds. I believe this is a record for any county throughout the whole country,” so said Daniel Hopkin, MP for Carmarthenshire in 1939.

“In the matter of attested herds, Cardigan is a steady first with 85 per cent, Carmarthen has 69 per cent and Pembroke 45.5 per cent. According to Hansard of December 14, 1948: “The average for England was no more than 10 per cent.” It also recorded in 1956 that “The coming of the milk factories was the salvation of the dairy farmer.””

As if to stab present producers in the back as it were, a story widely published in the press last week claimed dairy milk may be nearing its maximum sales growth as more and more customers are swapping out cow’s milk for non- dairy milks for both health reasons and personal preferences.

Figures quoted suggested that dairy milk sales decreased by seven per cent in 2015 and forecast a further 11 per cent drop by 2020. Conversely, non-dairy milk saw a nine per cent sales growth in 2015.

As an aside, the report states that nine out of 10 customers stay with dairy milk but most do not drink milk like they do still or sparkling bottled water, sodas or ready to drink beverages.

A ‘Welsh’ idea

As a tribute to an iconic workhorse, we see the very last Defender models roll off the production line at Land Rover’s manufacturing site in Solihull -an off-road legend that has served a huge range of owners including no less than our present Queen.

With an original design inspired by the US-built Jeep, the Land Rover boasted a lightweight aluminium body, bench seats, a canvas roof and most importantly, four-wheel drive capability.

It became renowned for its rugged build, unrivalled off-road capability and dependability. Other proud owners have included the SAS, Sir Winston Churchill and Fidel Castro and the model even played a starring role in the 2012 James Bond film Skyfall.

The Land Rover is one of the world’s most recognisable 4x4s and has been a motoring icon for more than 65 years. The idea to create an all-purpose vehicle for farmers, industry users and people living in the countryside was conceived in 1947 by Maurice Wilkes and his brother Spencer at Red Wharf Bay on the island of Anglesey in North Wales.

On April 30, 1948, the first Land Rover Series was unveiled, boasting an innovative gearbox with two ranges, high and low. The following year saw the British Army place its first orders and the vehicle soon saw service in theatres across the world from Kosovo to Iraq.

A long-wheelbase version of the Land Rover was released in 1953, followed by the introduction of the first diesel engine four years later. In 1958, the Series II was launched, offering more refined styling, and by 1959 the 250,000th model had rolled off the production line.

The popularity of the Land Rover continued into the 1970s with the arrival of the Series III model, and by 1976 one million had been sold.

It wasn’t until 1990 that the Defender name came into use, a move designed to prevent customers confusing the vehicle with the Land Rover Discovery. The title was retrospectively applied to the 90 and 110 models.

In 2015, production of three limited edition Defender models began - Heritage, Adventure and Autobiography - and a 1km-long outline of a Land Rover was carved into the sand off Anglesey, where the idea for such a vehicle was kindled back in 1947.

While production of the Land Rover Defender has ended, the model that has been taken to the hearts of drivers across the world will continue to be a common sight thanks to the vehicle’s reliability and straightforward mechanics.

Be positive

“I never make the same mistake twice. I make it five or six times, just to be sure!”

RIP

I’m no longer by your side, But there’s no need to weep;

I’ve left sweet recollections, I’m hoping you would keep.

Eternal joy and memories Stay in our hearts forever,

Strengthening our special bond that parting cannot sever.

Now it’s time to journey on, So let your faith be strong,

For I am in a better place…I’m home where I belong.

And if times of loneliness Bring sorrow and dismay,

Don’t despair, for I am there…Just a memory away.

Rita S. Bee