FUW Hosted a Pre-Show Visit to M&S Award Winners

The Farmers’ Union of Wales arranged the visit with Eifion, Ann, Aaron and Ioan Hughes at Godregarreg, near Llangadog, on the eve of the Welsh Dairy Show. The farm was recognised for its family farming operation at the M&S Select Farm Awards, where it received The Royal Countryside Fund Family Farm Award during the 2026 Royal Welsh Agricultural Show.

Godregarreg has been held by the Hughes family since 1936, when Eifion Hughes’s grandfather, John Hughes, moved there from Cwmbran, Myddfai. The original 28-acre holding expanded to about 200 acres after the family acquired grazing rights on the Black Mountain. Later purchases increased the farm to 400 acres, with another 120 acres rented.

The family lost its entire dairy herd to bovine tuberculosis in 2016. It subsequently rebuilt the enterprise by bringing 88 Fleckvieh cattle from Austria. The imported animals were later crossed with Friesian cows to raise milk output. The herd now numbers 140 cattle, and its milk is supplied to Leprino for mozzarella production.

The farm added another source of income in 2018 through a free-range egg unit. The facility can house as many as 32,000 Shaver hens and supplies St Ewe, a family-owned egg company based in Cornwall. St Ewe’s customers include M&S, Tesco, Ocado and Morrisons.

Godregarreg also installed solar generation. An 11kW system was fitted at the dairy in 2011, producing electricity and providing income through the UK government’s Feed-in Tariff, which was available at the time. During construction of the egg unit, the family installed a 49.8kW solar-panel system. It supplies the farm’s operations and sends excess electricity to the National Grid.

Although the farm has milked cows for about 80 years, the family does not expect its next development focus to be dairy expansion. The operation continues to face concerns over bovine tuberculosis, regulatory changes, fluctuating milk prices and rising input costs.