Country Focus

In the "Year of the Sea", we explore some of the amazing lighthouses located around our Welsh shores.

Whether you're visiting a beach on the Gower Peninsula or a mountain lake in Gwynedd, it seems people in Wales are embracing the tradition of a sauna. As well as associated health benefits its a chance to be outdoors and at one with nature. There's been a proliferation of saunas, in mostly wooden huts, popping up across Wales particluarly at the coast or inland beauty spots but Country Focus drops into the Sawna Dyfi Project, between Aberdyfi and Machynleth offering a community sauna... in a converted horsebox!

Rural Buses - what would a good bus network look like in rural Wales? The Welsh Government is set to trial a new bus franchise in communities in Ceredigion and Powys to bring about reform and a more customer-focused, integrated network of services. We speak to the cabinet minister for TransportWildlife dogs - we meet the dog breeders in Carmarthen, who train conservation dogs to work on anti-poaching projects in Africa.Our bird of conservation concern is the amber listed Grey heronand the Ceredigion seaside village of Borth and it's vibrant colourful street art.

An all-Wales Avian Influenza Prevention Zone is introduced in Wales, requiring all keepers of poultry and other captive birds to practice good biosecurity and vigilance to protect their flocks. As the disease spreads among birds, a human case of the H5N1 virus has occured but the UK Health Security Agency says the risk to the public remains very low. We talk to the Head of the Science Department at the World Organisation for Animal Health about disease outbreaks and what we can do to control them. The National Trust "ramps up" its efforts to protect and enhance Nature. In a new 10 year strategy the Trust plans to create 25,000 hectares of of nature-rich landscapes. They're also asking people to pitch in by adopting a plot of land at “nature super sites” - including one in Eryri (Snowdonia).Greyhounds - our reporter Mariclare get exclusive access to the only greyhound race track in Wales that started running licensed races at the end of last year, as campaigners lobby the Welsh Government to ban it. and what? no Romans?! We hear about an archaeological mystery at Pendinas hillfort at Penparcau, near Aberystwyth, in Ceredigion.

Farmers protest in a "National Day of Unity" over farm Inheritance Tax but with much change and uncertainty what are their concerns? I join the FUW's Farmhouse Breakfast week in the SeneddMud - we hear how Welsh mud and silt could make a sizeable contribution in the sequestration of carbon - but are we overlooking it's benefits in our quest to tackle global warming?Protecting historic, archaeological sites from"complete destruction" as off-road bikers illicitly use ancient monuments as racetracks.We meet two women honoured for their outstanding work in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority and the village of Y Felinheli, on the edge of the Menai Strait, celebrates local talent in music, poetry, and performance once again after their eisteddfod was disbanded half a century ago.

An outbreak of Foot and mouth disease in Germany brings import bans and calls for farmers to be vigilant. We speak to the Chief Vet for Wales.Signs of spring - have you spotted any yet? The Field Studies council would love to hear from you - details below.Ahead of the RSPB's Garden Birdwatch (Jan 24th-26th) for our bird of "conservation concern" in Wales we hear how the humble house sparrow is fairing and the project to kickstart live, community gigs coming to a rural village near you!

It's become a feature of the countryside Christmas.....the increasingly popular festive tractor run. Country Focus presenter, Caroline Evans joins the Young Farmers for this year's parade through the towns and villages around Llangollen.

Falling numbers of livestock ....new figures show the Welsh sheep flock has fallen to just 8.75m in 2024 - down from 12m in the 1990s. We hear how it's of prime concern for the Chair of Hybu Cig Cymru-Meat Promotion WalesThe rural gallery, MOMA - or the Museum of Modern Art - celebrates 40 years in Machynlleth, calling for future funding to continue its successFor our bird of "conservation concern" we head to the Gwynedd coast and hear about a small, dumpy, short-legged wading bird - the Ringed Plover!and what does it take to write a Country Diary? We speak to John Gilbey who writes about his local area around Aberystwyth.

Using natural ingredients and traditional methods - and a little bit of patience....this week we're at an award-winning dairy in Gwynedd that specialises in cheeses and creamy yogurt - made from sheep's milk. Dr Carrie Rimes used to make cheese on her family farm growing up and honed her skills at a fromagerie in France before setting up her own enterprise Cosyn Cymru in 2015. She was awarded the ‘Best Food Producer 2023' at the prestigious BBC Food & Farming Awards and the business has expanded into new premises in Bethesda where Country Focus visits to learn more about this artisan cheesemaker and her craft.

A revised version of the Welsh Government's Sustainable Farming Scheme - "Tree planting and hedgerow creation" replaces the 10% tree cover requirement and the checklist of actions farmers would have to sign up to in order to access the scheme's universal layer have been cut from 17 to 12. Country Focus presenter, Caroline Evans attends the Royal Welsh Winter Fair in Llanelwedd, Powys, to assess the reaction to the proposals.

Farming news - we look back at the farmers' protest in London over the Agricultural Inheritance tax and look forward to the changes the Welsh Government will announce at this year's Royal Welsh Winter Fair on the Sustainable Farming Scheme.Cegin y Bobl - a new Welsh charity is to form an army of chefs to change the way we eat and think about our food.and we have a sneak preview of the Christmas tree that's been grown near Knighton, before it's chopped down and sent to London, to stand outside Number 10 Downing Street this year.

Overcrowding and lack of capacity in prisons has been dominating the headlines recently but at the UK's only prison dairy farm, state of the art milking machines have been installed, in the hope of improving the chance for prisoners to gain employment on release and cut reoffending rates. Mariclare Carey-Jones goes on a visit to Cilwrgi Farm, near Pontypool in the historic county of Monmouthshire and hears how it's a working dairy farm but with a difference - it's home to a herd of 120 pedigree Holstein cattle, managed by staff and prisoners working as a team at HMP Prescoed.

Climate Change: as world leaders gather at Baku, in Azerbaijan for COP 29 in the next two weeks we take a look at projects focused on tackling the impacts of climate change. We take a look at efforts to conserve a rare lichen at Dinefwr Park in Carmarthenshire and hear how slag waste could hold the key to better biodiversity. The Spotabee App - scientists from Cardiff University call for help to save endangered Welsh bees by registering your bee sightings on an app.It's good news for free range egg farmers with changes to the marketing of free-range eggs when hens are housed during Avian flu outbreak.And for this month's bird of Conservation Concern we take a look at the small, golden, "king of the birds"

Open to applicants between the ages of 25 and 45, each year the Nuffield Foundation offers people working in farming, horticulture, forestry or other countryside industries an opportunity to study and travel overseas. Scholars are selected with a view to developing tomorrow's leaders within their individual business and the industry as a whole. Caroline Evans meets some of this year's scholars from Wales and hears about their experiences

Restoring Welsh Rivers summit - we speak to the Archbishop of Wales about why the Church in Wales is getting involved in tackling our waterways and we hear how the Dean of St David's in Pembrokeshire is "doing the little things" and caring for a small river that runs by the Cathedral. Polder fields - a Natural Resources Wales' project to restore saltmarsh along the Rhumney Great Wharf by reinstating and extending the sedimentation polders - small fences on the mudflats. and for our Bird of Conservation concern, we're on a farm in Pembrokeshire to feed the Yellowhammers.

The eight-toothed spruce bark beetle - landowners across Wales are urged to be on the lookout for signs of a pest that has been found in Monmouthshire for the first time.Agricultural pollution - a three month ban on muck-spreading came into force across Wales this week. We hear what it means for the industry and the environmentA community wetland - how a Welsh housing group has helped its tenants save an area of wetland in Cynon Taf, which was once intended for housing.and in fine voice at a church in Llangollen, there's a revival of the ancient art of Gregorian chanting

This term a project is underway to redesign and build a resilient food supply. Called Welsh Veg in Schools it's a pilot project, co-ordinated by Food Sense Wales, that aims to get more organically produced Welsh veg into primary school meals across Wales. Caroline Evans visits Dinas Powys primary school in the Vale of Glamorgan to hear how it's going down with the kids at lunchtime! We visit grower, Bonvilston Edge producing vegetables for the scheme and Castell Howell who distribute them to the schools.

Bird Registration - from Tuesday, October 1st it will become a legal requirement for all bird keepers in Wales (and England) to register themselves with the Animal and Plant Health Agency. Lapwing - some of Wales' leading ornithologists have been focusing on the plight of our bird populations for Country Focus and this month it's the lapwing brought to us by Dave Anning who is the site manager for a wet and windy RSPB Ynys-hir reserve on the Dyfi estuary Celtic wildlfower - we meet the Swansea ecologist who's on a mission to save our wildflowers Pasta a Mano - we hear how the pop-up pastaria from Ceredigion, that won the British Street Food Awards recently, now goes on to compete in next weekends' European finals in Germany. Chef Derw Robertson-Jacobs to hear about the secret to his success of using local Welsh ingredients combined with Italian cuisine.

Upper Wye restoration - a new project to help restore the upper reaches of the River Wye. Caroline Evans hears how to tackle one of the threats spreading down the river ....the invasive skunk cabbageWaxcap Watch - can you help secure the future of fungi in the UK? With some species at risk of extinction the conservation charity Plant Life is urging people to get involved in recording waxcaps.Boosting biodiversity in Denbighshire - we hear about the local authority's plans to plans to reintroduce and increase numbers of native plants and trees across the county, including the rare 'wild service', or 'chequers' trees, whose fruit used to be eaten by children as sweets! Affineur of the year - refining cheese to it's full potential! We meet the winner of the title Owen Davies who took his inspiration from the mining heritage of Wales and applied it to maturing a cheddar in replicated “coal cave"

The rural affairs programme for those working and living in the Welsh countryside.

Floodplain meadows are a beautiful and natural landscapes that are found alongside rivers on larger flat areas that dry out sufficiently in the summer, through well drained soils. However their value goes way beyond their beauty and wildlife - the many benefits we get include storing floodwaters, keeping soil and nutrients out of rivers and helping to protect water quality. A project is underway to increase our knowledge of Welsh floodplain meadows and promote and conserve them for the future. The Welsh floodplain meadows partnership is focusing on south-east Wales, Carmarthenshire, and the Wye catchment, building connections with communities and organisations working in the floodplain. Caroline Evans meets with members of the project to discover what the work involves and what they hope to achieve.

Rural crime - the cost of crime in the countryside has jumped by 7 percent in Wales according to the latest figures from the rural insurer NFU Mutual. Fluttered away - Butterfly Conservation reports alarmingly low numbers of butterflies, with the weather a significant factor in the decline.Lime Kilns - the Llanymynech Limeworks, closed over a hundred years ago calls for volunteers to help with the restoration work, wildlife surveys and keeping the site open to the public.Mushrooming success in Gwynedd - the grower who's pioneered a method for raising a range of exotic, Lions Mane mushroomsand how a pop-up pastaria, called Pasta a Mano, has quickly gained a cult following for offering authentic Italian Street Food will be competing in next month's British Street food Awards.

The brand new Horticulture Village at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show this year celebrated all aspects of horticulture in Wales from community to commercial growing. Caroline Evans explores the new Village and hears find out what we need to do to produce more fruit, veg, plants and flowers, and deliver greater health and environmental outcomes for the nation, through horticulture.

Competitions, world-class livestock, crafts, countryside sports, shopping, food and drink.... you name it, the Royal Welsh Show has it all! Celebrating the Society's 120th anniversary this year, there will be special displays, a new horticultural tent and the poultry are back! Kicking off BBC Radio Wales' coverage for the week ahead, Country Focus presenter Caroline Evans is joined by BBC Wales' Environment and Rural Affairs Correspondent, Steffan Messenger to look ahead at this year's "Sioe Fawr"!

Ahead of this year's Royal Welsh Agricultural Show, we talk to the Welsh Government's Climate and Rural Affairs minister, Huw Irranca Davies about policy, farm protests and the future for agriculture in Wales.People are being asked to avoid the River Irfon, near Builth Wells over fears of a suspected case of 'crayfish plague'. The Wye catchment, including the River Irfon, is a key habitat for the white-clawed crayfish. The plague is harmless to humans but it is a highly infectious disease that is fatal to the crustacean that is already under threat from the non native crayfish. We visit a new nature reserve that has just been opened at the Gwent Levels. Bridewell Common was purchased by Gwent Wildlife Trust four years ago, but it has been closed to the public until now, to allow the charity to restore the area.and for our Bird of Conservation Concern this month it's a charismatic and striking bird of prey, that is unfortunately the UK's most persecuted bird of prey in relation to its population size - the Hen-Harrier

Pembrokeshire Creamery is the UK's first new dairy for 15 years and it's aim is to reduce food miles and increase supply chain efficiency. It will have the capacity to bottle 60 million litres of milk in its initial 12-18 month phase, building to 120 million litres per year when it reaches full capacity. Caroline Evans tours around the facility and through the stages of milk production to find out what this new venture means for the Welsh dairy industry

Farming and environmental groups call on politicians to commit to a major increase in funding for the agricultural sector ahead of the General Election. We hear from BBC Wales' Environment correspondent, Steffan Messenger.We hear about the remarkable natural phenomena of insect migration through a Pyrenean mountain pass. Insect migration scientist, Dr Will Leo Hawkes, explains how migrating flies could help in the face of climate change.Rodney's Pillar - an update on the campaign to save an iconic landmark near Llanymynech, on the Welsh border.We escape to the Skerries for our Red listed bird of conservation concern and hear how some very noisy Arctic Terns are faring.

In 1823, geologists investigating mammoth remains in Gower found a partial human skeleton, bones heavily stained with red ochre and surrounded a wealth of grave goods including shell beads and carved ivory. Two hundred years on, Tourism Swansea Bay is exploring new ways of the celebrating the legacy of this important find, what came to be known as the Red Lady of Paviland. The project will explore Gower's rich palaeolithic and neolithic sites with walks and places to visit, culminating with the Red Lady Festival at the Gower Heritage Centre 22nd June 2024. Caroline Evans takes a walk back in time to the cave and explores the history and the heritage and asks should the bones the artefacts be returned?

At the 'Tŷ Te' Tea Hub in the village of Trimsaran, the local community gather together weekly for a chat over a good cup of tea! Hosted by Tetrim Teas, a Welsh family business based in the Gwendraeth Valley, is a not-for-profit, wellbeing and ethical tea company. Caroline Evans joins them at the community centre in Trimsaran and hears how they're developing Rhubarb tea and mushroom teas. And they're not the only ones that think tea grown and made in Wales, has a future. In the hills above Knighton, Mandy Lloyd, who seems to relish the challenge of growing tea in less than favourable conditions, is hoping to build on the existing knowledge of growing tea in the UK. Meanwhile, Lucy George has been growing tea for around 9 years on her farm in the Vale of Glamorgan and is now a Nuffield Scholar looking at tea cultivation as a high value niche crop in the UK, one with ecological and social benefits too!

Since 2007, Fishing for Schools has taken young people out of the classroom and into the countryside but it's more than getting them hooked on fishing. Founded by fly fisherman Charles Jardine it gives children a chance to learn outdoors, connect with nature and gain new skills and confidence. Caroline Evans joins children from Alway primary school, Newport, Gwent at the nearby Llyswerry Ponds for a lesson in Fishing!

Dancing with Daffodils project - trials are to begin next month using an extract from daffodils, to feed to cows, with the aim of reducing livestock methane emissions and transform the efficiency and sustainability of ruminant farming. We hear how the Chinese Mitten Crab has established itself in the Dee estuary and has now been confirmed in the Conwy estuary. The crab is one of a number of invasive non-native species (INNS) that are on the increase and pose a threat to biodiversity.and at the Oak and Smoke Tannery in Ceredigion, we meet Jane Robertson who uses natural tanning methods to produce and craft traditional leatherwork.

Concern over the 'worrying' state of nature in our national parks in Wales. The Campaign for National Parks calls for urgent action to halt and reverse biodiversity declines so National Parks can properly contribute to the UK's efforts in tackling the nature and climate crisis. The annual Hay literature festival begins and not to miss out on Country Focus, we've a book selection for you! "Tir: The Story of the Welsh Landscape" discusses the relationship between land and people in Wales. We speak to the author, ecologist Carwyn Graves.....and for our red-listed, Bird of Conservation Concern this spring month, we have a lesson in how to pick out the trills of the Wood Warbler in a Celtic Rainforest near Dolgellau

Welsh Farmers Unite - a new grassroots organisation organises a march in Cardiff this Tuesday, to highlight the threat to our food security and what they perceive as anti-farming policies. We speak to one of the organisers. We also hear from a group of farmers called Digon yw Digon, or Enough is Enough campaign about their meeting with the Welsh Government's Climate change and Rural Affairs ministerThe mental health lorry providing a safe haven for farmers to share their struggles and receive support . The DPJ Foundation drives a lorry to the marts and shows in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire to provide a dedicated space for the rural farming community. The Scarce Yellow Sally - we explore the efforts to save a large stonefly that was once thought to be extinct on the river Dee, now rediscovered. It's just one of the species focused upon with Natur am Byth - a major nature recovery project to save rare species. And whether it's the shrill carder bee, pink sea-fan coral, barbastelle bat, or Snowdonia's arctic alpine plants - they're all in line for intensive care and this week is ‘Nature in your Community' week and we're being encourage to get out and reconnect with nature.

Connecting rural communities and cutting carbon emissions - a network of car clubs across rural Wales. Caroline Evans visits Llandrindod Wells to hear more.We explore Gwydyr Forest in the Conwy Valley where long-gone lead mines mean the area is now home to around 90 per cent of the world's lead Moss. The Dolphin Diet Detectives project - a new initiative of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales - receives funding to find out what species the bottlenose dolphins of Cardigan Bay are consuming. It involves the collection of dolphin faecal samples - not an easy task - but researchers hope the study will increase our understanding of dolphin and marine conservation in the futureAnd on International Dawn Chorus day, we hear about a new study of nest box-breeding birds by Aberystwyth University, to understand the impact of climate change on competition between birds.

Air Ambulance - campaigners threaten legal action over plans to close air ambulances bases in WalesWe visit a heronry in Carmarthenshire to hear how their fairing after the British Trust for Ornithology reveals the latest findings from its long-running Heronries Census. Mystery beans - volunteers at the Seed Library in the Hive Community Space in Llandrindod investigate a donation of some seeds. “Glenys' Runner Beans" have been passed down through a number of generations - but how old are they and how can they help local growers? The Snowdon beetle is believed to be down to the last thousand on the slopes of the mountain where it lives. But we hear about plans to help save it from possible extinction.

River Restoration - why the Church in Wales is involving itself in tackling the crisis facing Wales' rivers and waterwaysTo celebrate World Curlew Day (21st April) we meet a visual artist in Montgomeryshire who compares the plight of the Curlew to that of the now extinct Great Auk and fears for the eventual extinction of both the curlew and the village hall! Birds of Conservation Concern in Wales - the Curlew is on the Red List of Species as is our bird of the month this April - the Bittern. We hear how the reed beds at Newport Wetlands are contributing to something of a success story as their fortunes are slowly, but surely, being turned around.Cockles - how two boys are getting out in nature and keeping the tradition of cockle picking alive on the Burry inletand the Great Glamorgan Sock Project showcasing the different sheep breeds with woolly socks!

The right tree in the right place and how it could save lives in the city. We speak to an Urban Green Infrastructure Advisor for Natural Resources Wales on the need to plant more trees in in our towns and cities for people and the planet.Tiny forests - the Welsh Government is offering grants of between ten and forty thousand pounds to plant trees in a small space under a concept of forest creation developed by a Japanese ecologist. We hear how it works at a tiny forest in Cardiff Bay.We talk pond creation in LLanwrtyd Wells - the Freshwater Habitats Trust says ponds are a critically important but undervalued part of the freshwater network. and our reporter Mariclare Carey-Jones takes her tortoise for a check up at the International Tortoise Association in the Vale of Glamorgan

The White Hart Inn in St Dogmaels has been part of the village for 250 years, so when last orders was called for the final time, villagers refused to accept the closure of their local. They joined forces to raise nearly £250,000 to buy it and nearly 5 years on it's become a thriving community owned pub... or should that be hub?!

Scientists at Aberystwyth University have produced four new varieties of oats which have been approved for growing in the UK. We speak to the team leader about growing oats for the future.Time for a spring clean - we talk to a wildlife officer with RSPCA Cymru about the dangers and distress caused by litter on wild animals like hedgehogs, deer and foxesOur bird of conservation concern for this month is a bird of prey - the Kestrel And Cow Companions - the cow-hugging therapy service at a cow sanctuary in Mydroilyn, near Lampeter, Ceredigion

A cross-party investigation into the Welsh rural economy calls for the re-establishment of a Rural Development Board and greater flexibility on the Sustainable Farming Scheme. Those were just two of a raft of recommendations made in the publication this week of a blueprint for rural growth in the Welsh countryside. We speak to the Director of the Country Land and Business Association about the findings.We hear how an ambitious conservation project on the river Dee gives local children the chance to learn about the life cycle of the trout.Shifting seasons - the Head gardener of the National Trust's Dyffryn Gardens plays "spring flower roulette" as climate changes alters growth patterns...and Ortir Apothecary, near St Dogmaels in Pembrokeshire, takes inspiration from the natural world and uses local botanicals to create perfumes anchored in a sense of time and place

Farmers and suppliers gathered in Carmarthen Mart this week amid growing uncertainty and concerns over the future farming policy for Wales, cuts to rural budgets and what they see as an attack on their way of life. Country Focus presenter, Caroline Evans attends the meeting. Meanwhile, the rural affairs minister Leslie Griffiths has rejected calls to pause the consultation into the Sustainable Farming Scheme and urges everyone to reply with their views by 7th March 2024. And the circle of life - the natural burial ground in Pembrokeshire seeking volunteers to plant trees.

Upland hill farmers fear for the future existence of their farm businesses in light of Welsh government's scheme proposals.We visit Blas Farm - an organic vegetable farm on the Gwent Levels aiming to produce food in a sustainable way for the local community and to encourage young people into the industry.We hear how one of the world's rarest and most endangered species of fir tree ‘coned' for the first time in decades at Hergest Croft Gardens on the Powys-Herefordshire borderand how about joining the goat club in the city of Swansea? It's for the benefit of conservation but warning - they could be too cute to resist!