LIVESTOCK farmer Jonathan Huntley counts himself lucky to be farming free of bovine tuberculosis but he is only too aware of the harm the disease is wreaking on other herds.

As the new vice chairman of the NFU Cymru Livestock Board, a priority for Jonathan will be to find a way forward on bovine TB.

“The livestock sector in Wales is facing a number of challenges and TB is chief among those,’’ acknowledges Jonathan, who farms at Bryntail Farm, a 580-acre upland farm near Pontypridd.

“We are free of TB on our farm but it is a big issue for a lot of our members and the policy of the government doesn’t seem to be making it any better. They seem to be doing a better job in England and I like to think that there might be a change of direction on this issue after the Assembly elections.’’

Jonathan farms with his wife, Tracey, with help from their 16-year-old son, Thomas, who is studying agriculture at Hartbury College, and their daughters, Ffion and Rhian.

Jonathan’s parents were publicans at Abercynon but his non-farming background has not been an impediment. The family has built up a flock of 1070 ewes and 60 pedigree Simmental suckler cows and in-calf heifers.

The flock is a mixture of South Wales Nelson ewes and crossbreds, mainly Aberdales. “We don’t flush in the autumn because the ewes are so prolific. We get a lot of triplets which means we need an army of helpers in the spring!’’ says Jonathan.

“The first cross is a really good ewe. It has got to be a first cross because it’s a tough old place up on the hill. It’s no good if the sheep are soft.’’

A polytunnel, bought after a winter of heavy snow, provides additional housing at lambing time.

The flock scanned at 180% with lambing getting underway on March 20th. Lambs are sold through Raglan market and the aim this year is to sell everything before Christmas. “If we have to sell some as stores we will,’’ says Jonathan.

He admits last year was tough when the lamb price under pressure. “Our income was back by a considerable amount. We sold our lambs off grass because we didn’t want to spend money on them.’’

One tool which is helping with the management of the flock is EID. Jonathan admits he had reservations initially but he can see benefits going forward. “It’s a bit of work and it needs someone who is pretty switched on but we are getting more familiar with it now. We are using it to identify better ewes which will be beneficial.’’

Calves from the pedigree Eglwysilan herd are sold either in the autumn or the following spring. A Simmental and a Charolais bull are used for breeding.

Good quality round bale silage forms a major part of the diet. The Huntleys make their own silage and only use contractors for ploughing and muck spreading.

Tracey has been full-time on the farm since giving up her job as a teaching assistant and she now wonders how she ever had time to work off-farm. “John had been paying for outside labour so it made sense for me to give up my job to work on the farm. I don’t know how I found the time to go to work!’’