HCC boss explains decision to hire crisis comms agency

The chairwoman of Welsh red meat levy body Hybu Cig Cymru has defended its decision to hire a public relations company with expertise in crisis communications, insisting the move will help support staff during a time of change.

Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) – Meat Promotion Wales – is using levy payers’ money to engage Stay Gold Media to handle some of its external communications.

This is despite employing Anne Dunn, a former head of communications at the Farmers’ Union of Wales, full-time, as well as an in-house communications team with at least three other people.

See also: Former HCC boss ‘would have been sacked if he hadn’t quit’

HCC, Wales’ meat marketing board, has been hit by a string of setbacks in recent months, including allegations of staff bullying as well as the resignation of its chief executive, Gwyn Howells, and two board directors, Rhys Davies and Prys Morgan.

One industry source said: “Levy payers will be asking why their money is being spent on an external comms company when there is an experienced media team internally.

“Was due diligence followed in terms of due process in expenditure of levy payers’ funds?”

HCC chairwoman Catherine Smith with outgoing first minister Vaughan Gething at the show © MAG/Philip Case

‘Additional help’

Speaking to Farmers Weekly at the Royal Welsh Show, HCC chairwoman Catherine Smith said the level of support it had brought in from Stay Gold Media was “ad hoc, additional contractual help” and “it was not something they would normally communicate” to levy payers.

Mrs Smith declined to comment on contractual arrangements with Stay Gold Media, which is run by Brian Meechan, a former BBC Wales correspondent who has more than 20 years’ experience in newsrooms working across TV, radio and online, insisting this would be “utterly inappropriate”.

But she said HCC’s costs were transparent and were reported through fully audited financial statements, in line with formal procurement procedures.

“Levy payers would expect us to do the right thing in order to be able to deliver in busy periods, and that’s no different to what we’re doing on this,” she added.

“The team is being supported at a highly sensitive time and a time of change for them, and that’s the right thing to do.

“It was about support. It was about giving the team the support they need… and that has enabled them to do an amazing job because we have an amazing team and they are delivering.”

In a testimonial on Stay Gold Media’s website, which has since been removed, HCC interim chief executive Heather Anstey-Myers said working with Mr Meechan had “helped us control the narrative and create a calm response, with clear lines to take and written responses we could use with our staff and stakeholders”.

In addition to the senior HCC resignations, another two staff members have recently left the organisation.

Mr Howells resigned on 14 June after being on sick leave for almost a year.

HCC later published the findings of a report by an unnamed independent human resources company, which concluded that Mr Howells would have been dismissed for misconduct had he not resigned.

However, HCC has declined to name the company behind the report or make the report public.

Farmers Weekly has learned that the accusations of bullying do not relate directly to Mr Howells, nor to the two board members who resigned. It is understood that Mr Howells is taking action to clear his name, but he remains unavailable for comment.

Missing board minutes

In addition, no board minutes have been published on HCC’s website since October 2022, and no financial statements or annual reports since 2021.

Mrs Smith admitted that HCC’s failure to publish board minutes on its website was “not good enough”, but maintained this was an “oversight” and this information would be made public very soon.

It is unclear how Ms Anstey-Myers’ was selected as interim chief executive.

However, HCC is in the early stages of recruiting a permanent chief executive, with an advertisement for the role expected to be published in the late summer.

Mrs Smith said: “It’s a really important role for HCC and the industry and we’ll be working hard to make sure that that advertisement process is open, inclusive and transparent.”

Support measures

Mrs Smith said she and fellow board members recognised that HCC staff had been through a period of change, but a range of measures were being put in place to support staff in the long term.

“There’s more to do, but it’s being done. We will move forward. We are moving forward,” she added.

“We take staff wellbeing very seriously and we will support them going forward.”