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NICHOLAS JOHN SOMERFIELD[/caption]
A former chairman and president of the Farmers’ Union of Wales Carmarthenshire county branch has been made a life member of the organisation.
Seventy-four-year-old Nicholas John Somerfield, who farms Welsh Mountain hill sheep and Gelbvieh and Welsh Black suckler cows on his 220-acre hill farm at Crug-las, Bethlehem, near Llangadog, has been a member of the FUW for 48 years.
He will fill the vacancy left by John Price, of Ddafadfa Isaf, Gwynfe, near Llangadog, who died last July.
Together with his wife Kyra, Mr Somerfield also runs a small herd of British Toggenburg dairy goats, one of the longest established in Wales, which has exported stock worldwide during the last 25 years.
Many were sent to set up third world aid projects in Africa and Mrs Somerfield has twice visited Ethiopia to evaluate the progress of herd development there.
Brought up at Send, near Woking, Surrey, Mr Somerfield joined the FUW in 1963 when he and his wife moved to their Brecon Beacons farm.
He was chairman and member of the union's land use committee for 22 years when he actively campaigned for the needs of small Welsh family farms.
"Based on the principle that any organisation requires input as well as out-take, I have endeavoured to contribute towards the union's efforts on behalf of the membership," he said.
He is currently a National Park Forum and Wales Biodiversity Action Group Member and used to be a member of the Environment Agency's environment protection advisory committee and the Countryside Council for Wales.
In 2005 he was awarded a silver salver by the FUW in recognition of his services to the union and to the agricultural industry in Wales.
Announcing Mr Somerfield’s selection at a meeting of the union’s grand council, former FUW deputy president Glyn Powell said: “Several names were put forward and we had a difficult task choosing just one.
"After discussions on the amount of service and the commitment they had all given to the union we decided unanimously to recommend the election of Nicholas John Somerfield.”