People power forces tree-planting rethink on Welsh farm

Residents in a small Carmarthenshire farming community have scored a major victory over a big private equity firm after forcing it to rethink its ambition to plant a sheep farm with mostly conifers to offset its clients’ carbon emissions.

A petition was launched by people living and farming in the Cothi Valley in reaction to London-based Foresight Group’s plan for the afforestation of Frongoch Farm in Cwrt-y-Cadno.

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The company had bought the livestock farm, and three others, and had indicated its intention to use Frongoch as a carbon offset for the activities of clients. Its plan included planting 40ha with three blocks of Douglas fir, Sitka spruce and Western red cedar.

What it hadn’t reckoned on was the scale of opposition to its plans for Frongoch, not only to the loss of productive farmland, but to opportunities lost to support biodiversity by planting native broad-leaved species instead of conifers.

More than 17,000 people signed a petition and campaigners have now been given an assurance that there will be a rethink, says Rhiannon Lewis, who organised the petition.

At a meeting with local residents last week, Foresight said it would adjust its initial scheme to accommodate the key concerns of the local farming community.

“A fundamental part of Foresight’s approach to forestry is to listen to and work closely with the local community,” said a spokesperson.

“Importantly, at each of our Welsh sites – including Frongoch – we don’t plant on arable land.

“The wide variety of commercial and non-commercial trees we are planting will help improve biodiversity levels, and at least 25% of every site will be planted with native broad-leaves.”

Mrs Lewis described this as a “major concession”, but said assurance needed to go a step further and be legally binding in the form of a covenant to protect the land from future planting.

She also urged Foresight to consider selling the land to a local farmer – one had hoped to buy it and live there with his family before Foresight came in with a higher offer, she added.

‘Genuine concerns’

The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) said the petition against the afforestation of the farm, described as “an ancient area of exceptional beauty”, had reflected “genuine concerns’’ in the Cwrt y Cadno community and across Wales.

FUW policy officer Teleri Fielden said the union was pleased this was now being taken into consideration by Foresight.

“In the 20th century, we saw entire rural communities lost to vast forestry plantations in Wales. FUW members are extremely concerned we are seeing a new 21st-century landgrab as outside companies buy up Welsh farmland to cash in on the carbon market,” she said.

“We need to see land ownership remaining in the hands of local people, and opportunities created for young farmers and tenants, rather than seeing local people priced out of the market by outside investors.

“Tree planting should occur in ways that work alongside agriculture and are sympathetic to our landscape and the communities that depend on it.”