Farmers’ Union of Wales public relations director Peter Roberts today announced his retirement from the post - but he will continue to edit the union's monthly newspaper Y Tir/Welsh Farmer for the foreseeable future.
Sixty-six-year-old Mr Roberts said: “I’ve just completed 50 years working in the media industry in Wales so instead of going into the office every day I will now keep in touch with all my fellow colleagues and contacts, inside and outside the industry, by working on Y Tir from home.
“It means I will retain some involvement in publicising the FUW’s first class service to the farming industry at a historic moment in the organisation’s long and successful history as it proudly enters its 60th anniversary year.
“And it thrills me to realise that when I was 15 I was a newspaper delivery boy - taking the South Wales Evening Post around my home village of Ferryside - and half a century later I edit a newspaper printed and produced by the Post’s current publishers South West Wales Media Ltd.”
FUW president Emyr Jones said: “On behalf of the FUW I would warmly like to thank Peter for his outstanding service to the FUW and Welsh agriculture, not only during his time with the union but also during his many years as a highly respected journalist. We wish him a long and happy retirement.”
After leaving Carmarthen’s Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Mr Roberts joined the Carmarthen Journal as a trainee reporter and just over two years later he was appointed the Post’s Carmarthen district junior reporter.
In September 1970 he became the Western Mail’s senior district reporter for Ceredigion, Montgomeryshire, Meirionnydd and Dwyfor and 14 years later the Cambrian News’ deputy editor.
He was appointed Cambrian News editor in July 1991 and after seven years in that post left to set up his own editorial consultancy pr.news which he successfully ran until April 2002 when he became FUW’s press officer and Y Tir’s editor.
He succeeded Alan Morris as FUW’s PR director in December 2006.