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(r-l) FUW president Glyn Roberts with former FUW president Emyr Jones, his wife Lyn and singer Dafydd Iwan.[/caption]
The Meirionnydd branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales has honoured former FUW president Emyr Jones with a special celebratory dinner held at the Ship Hotel in Dolgellau, on Friday September 25, to thank him for his service to the industry.
Mr Jones, a Bala beef and sheep farmer stood down as the FUW president following 15 years’ loyal service to the organisation at national level in June.
He was Meirionnydd county chairman from 1998 to 2000 when he was elected to represent North Wales on the union’s central finance and organisation committee. He was elected national vice president in 2002, deputy president in 2003 and president in 2011.
“I would like thank all the staff and members of the union for their support over the past 15 years and I offer my heartfelt thanks to all those people, both inside and outside our industry, for their valuable help through all the good, and sometimes difficult, times,” Mr Jones said.
Mr Jones is married with three children. A Welsh speaker, he was born and brought up on the family farm Rhiwaedog, Rhosygwaliau, near Bala.
The farm extends to 360 acres, with a further 300 acres of rented land, and carries a herd of 60 pedigree Welsh Black suckler cows and 1,700 breeding sheep.
FUW Meirionnydd county executive officer Huw Jones, who organised the event, said: “We enjoyed a very successful evening and I would like to thank all those who attended in honour of Emyr Jones. Emyr is and has been a stalwart of the union and we thank him greatly for all he has done for not just the union but agriculture as a whole.”
He is a prominent member of many organisations including the Welsh Mountain Sheep Society, Welsh Black Cattle Society, and is a director of Meirionnydd County Show.
He is a former chairman of Meirionnydd Grassland Society and has been a member since the society was founded 30 years ago.
His contribution to agriculture was recognised when he became an Associate of the Royal Agricultural Societies, and received the honour of Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies in 2001.
Rhiwaedog has won several accolades over many years including the Royal Welsh Show Farm Buildings Facilities Award and the Snowdonia National Park Society Farming and Landscape Award.
Its main achievement was in 2008 when the farm won the British Grassland Societies National Grassland and Management competition in Wales and went forward to win the UK title.
Mr Jones also devotes a great deal of time to community life, being a former chairman of his community council. He is active with his local show at Llangower and is also a deacon of his local chapel.
He is passionately committed to the principles on which the FUW was established and frequently speaks on behalf of the union on radio and television.