Rural Affairs Minister visits and praises Powys garden

Llyr Gruffydd MS has called for more support for homegrown producers while on a visit to Pili-Pala Farm in Cwm Nant-y-Meichaid, Llanfyllin.

Set on an acre of land and created as part of a COP26 initiative to move towards climate-smart agriculture, the garden has enjoyed a successful summer with the community, maintaining a stand in Llanfyllin Spar stocked with produce grown at the garden.

The main growers at Pili Pala are Tom Edwards, and his nephew Charlie Felton, who were praised by Mr Gruffydd when he visited the garden.

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He said: “Pili-Pala Farm is a great example of what can be achieved in terms of sustainable food production right here in Wales.

“What Tom and his family have done here is nothing short of fantastic.

“There is a cultural shift that is beginning to take place where we’re seeing people move back towards buying local food.

“What Pili-Pala Farm is showing is that there is clearly a demand for high quality, homegrown, sustainable and environmentally friendly produce.

“As a country we need to make our food systems far more resilient. We need to make ourselves less reliant on foreign imports.

“At the moment we are importing far too much of our fruit and vegetables which is often of a much lower quality than what is produced at home.

“Bringing in vast quantities from the continent is bad for the environment and often it is worse for the customer as well.

“That’s why its vital that we support homegrown producers like Tom.”

The food grown in the garden reportedly benefits from the valley’s micro-climate which is full of sun and has reduced frosts. The produce is also fresher by the time it hits the shelves, having been grown locally and delivered on the day it’s picked.

Tom Edwards said: “The vast majority of produce is picked within 24 hours, and is often harvested the same day. We replenish stock every morning, so it's always nice and fresh.

“We harvest our fruit, veg and flowers daily, and so customers will often receive our produce the same day it was picked. Therefore, it lasts longer, retains more nutrients and in our opinion it tastes a whole lot better too.

“Our farm is here to be experienced by all, and we encourage customers to see where their food comes from and learn about the regenerative methods we use. We want Pili-Pala Farm to be a haven, not just for wildlife in the area, but for people too.”